


An Interesting Turn

by Evilkat23



Category: Far Cry 3, Far Cry 4
Genre: Ajay was adopted by Pagan, Bodyguard! Jason, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I look forward to this story, M/M, Prince! Ajay, Protective! Pagan Min, There is a drugged scene for like five seconds, Torture, Waterboarding, just a heads up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-04 23:04:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 42,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11565198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evilkat23/pseuds/Evilkat23
Summary: Ajay Ghale, the adoptive son of Pagan min, and prince of Kyrat has already had one one in with the Golden path, when another one comes up, Pagan decided his son needs a bodyguard, that Bodyguard? Jason Brody, things start to heat up for the two when personalities clash and the Golden Path rises.





	1. A reason for

**I'm a stickler for protective pagan stories, if he were to adopt Ajay that is.**

Ajay Ghale was not comfortable in official royal kryati clothing. He honestly preferred his blue jeans and sneakers, but, because this was an official formal event that his father had thrown for 'the hell of it', Ajay had to dress like the Prince that he was, his father had his outfit specifically picked out for him for this event, so here Ajay was, dressed in a white and gold Sherwani, flat matching shoes, and white pants that went along with the outfit. He looked around at all the other people, they were royals from what seemed to be all over the world. Ajay let out a soft sigh, he really didn't want to be here, but, his father insisted.

"Hello, hello." Came a sultry voice from behind him, Ajay turned to see a male, no older than Ajay himself, twenty-six, he had dark skin and dark curly hair, his eyes were so blue in color that it could melt anybody's, heart. He met Ajay in height and weight, possibly, like Ajay this man was dressed in a Sherwani, of royal purple and gold. "Abhaya Arya." He introduced himself. Ajay opened his mouth before slowly taking the man's hand to shake.

"Ajay Ghale."

"Ah, the son of Pagan Min," Abhaya smiled a little at Ajay as he adjusted his hair a bit, "I've heard a lot about you."

"I bet you have, little hard to escape publicity when you're the prince," Ajay responded back.

"Oh yes, I bet, I bet. I hear the Golden Path is after your head," Abhaya spoke as he snatched two drinks off a tray that a waiter was holding, with a smile he offered Ajay a drink. Ajay frowned a bit, not at the drink, but the mention of the Golden Path. He knew all about them.

It took Pagan a good while to tell Ajay the truth about his real father and the Golden Path. What his father did to Lakshmama, Ajay's baby half-sister, his father, Mohan Ghale, the heartless monster that he was... MURDERED an Infant in cold blood. In rage, Ishwari, Ajay's mother, attacked Mohan, causing Mohan to stab her, the two of them both died. Ajay was found by Pagan in the Mohan home about three days after both of them passed. Crying his little heart out. From then on, Pagan has been Ajay's adoptive father ever since. Now Ajay was here, and the Golden Path calls him a blood-traitor for not joining them.

They caught him once just a little over eight months ago. Sabal had tried to get Ajay to turn on Pagan, it didn't work and in the end, Paul almost burned down the entire village of Banapur to the ground. Ajay did feel bad about it, but, in the end, his father reminded him just how dangerous the Golden path really is.

"Of course," Ajay finally responded as he took the drink from Abhaya. "The golden path is nothing but terrorist and because I pointed that out to them they label me as a 'traitor' now they want my head, well, Amita wants my head, Sabal wants me to join, but, it's not going to happen," Ajay spoke as he took a sip of the drink, Scotch, his father's favorite drink next to his large collection of the finest wine that is.

"-But, the Golden Path has some good points. Surely you can't believe your adoptive tyrant of a father is right?" Abhaya spoke rather bravely as he took a sip of his drink. Ajay only chuckled as he took a bigger gulp of his drink downing it all, shaking his head, he decided to make his escape.

"I must go, it was nice to meet you, Abhaya."

"Very well..."

Ajay walked away and started to mingle with the other royals, however after awhile he started to feel funny. His head started to spin. Where was his dad? Stumbling a bit, Ajay felt his breath go slightly ragged as he felt someone grab his arm.

"Drink a little too much?" A familiar sultry asked him in his ear.

"I...I just want my dad..." Ajay mumbled as he tried to get away from Abhaya. He didn't want anything to do with this man, not now, he just wanted to go to his room, somewhere.

"Come along, little Ajay..." Feeling his arm being tugged, Ajay could only go along with Abhaya as his mind seemed to just slow down or stop altogether. "Sabal really wants to have a talk with you."

Ajay tried to do anything to stop this man, but he just could hardly move except for his horrible stumbling. He tried to speak, to yell, but he couldn't say anything as his vision started to go black around the edges. He thought he was in a tunnel as his hearing started to echo around him.

Next thing Ajay knew he was thrown flat on his face. Laying on his side, almost unable to move, he could only see shoes, Abhaya's and what seemed to be Royal Guard boots, followed by familiar alligator shoes.

"-Touch my son! Take him downstairs! To Paul! I'll deal with him myself later!" Ajay was then grabbed, gently, his head lolled haphazardly to the side as he was looked at his father sleepily, Pagan gently cupped Ajay's face and looked at his half lidded eyes. "Roofies, that was a close one, bring him to his room." His dad ordered the guards holding onto Ajay. "Make sure he has water... I'll...Later...Ajay?...Ajay?"

* * *

Ajay groaned weakly as he opened his eyes, the sun light piercing his eyes like knives. His mouth dry like the desert letting out another groan he slowly opened his eyes and rolled over to see Pagan sitting there next to his bed on a chair, one leg crossed over the other.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty, slept for a good fourteen hours, then again, class A drugs will do that to you," Pagan spoke smoothly as he leaned over to Ajay's nightstand and handed him some water. Ajay happily took the water and started to gulp it down.

"We need to talk about last night. You... you let your guard down last night, Ajay. Got roofied, almost taken by the Golden Path, that little monkey wasn't too smart trying to take you in a crowded area. That's twice the Golden Path almost had you, so, from now on I want you to have a bodyguard on you at all times."

Ajay spat out some of the water and gently brought his hand up to wipe some of the water off of his chin.

"A body guard? Dad is that-"

"Yes. Absolutely, Ajay, I lost one child, I refuse to lose another one," Pagan put it simply and rather sternly. "Now, I can't give you some random commander to guard you, no, I need someone who I know can guard and protect you at all times, and I have the perfect man for the job, he's on the way now, you'll like him, I know this for sure. Now. Get some rest." Pagan urged as he stood. Ajay wanted to protest against his father, but Pagan had already fled before Ajay could even open his mouth.

Ajay rested his head against his pillow and it was only then did he realize he was no longer in his royal clothing, but in silk pajamas that Pagan had obviously picked out seeing how it was bright pink. Still, he was oddly comfortable and maybe resting for a few more minutes wouldn't hurt anybody.

* * *

Ajay had woken up sometime later, he felt better, way better. Getting up out of bed, he went to get changed out of the pink PJ's. Going over towards his closet, Ajay opened the door and started to get changed. He had just gotten some blue jeans on when Pagan came busting.

"Oh, Ajay, darling~ Your bodyguard is here!" Pagan shouted as he started to push Ajay out of his room.

"Alright, can't I put a shirt on?" Ajay questioned as he was ushered out into the main room.

"Nope!"

Being pushed into the room, Ajay was face to face with another man, no older than Ajay himself, he had dark brown messy hair, similar to Ajay's own messy hair. Average height and build, however on his right arm was a tattoo that sleeved up his forearm. It looked rather cool as well. The man took notice of Ajay the two of them looking each other up and down.

Pagan smiled as he spread his arms out happily,

"Ajay, I like you to meet Jason Brody, your bodyguard."


	2. Hunting gone awry

"So, Jason tell me what happened at Rook Island?" Pagan asked as he took a bite of his crab Rangoon.

"Uhhhh..." Jason paused as he looked at Ajay, then Yuma, who was sitting just across from Ajay, to Paul, and then finally back to Pagan. "Well, I beat a bunch of pirates, watched as my older brother was shot in front of me, my younger brother was kidnapped along with all my friends, I managed to get them all back and liberate a whole Island." Jason summed up quickly as he as he, rather embarrassedly, picked up a crab Rangoon off his plate and took a cautious bite.

"By yourself?" Ajay questioned him instantly as he interlocked his fingers and rested his head with interest.

"Elbows off the table, Ajay," Pagan ordered causing his son to sit up straight.

"Uh, no, not really 'all by myself'. I mean, I did do most of the hard work, taking back outposts, saving people, burning fields, etc. While they pretty much took the credit," Jason explained to Ajay quickly as he looked at the crab Rangoon. "This is amazing."

"Yes. Now, down to the details of this job," Pagan stood and started to walk around, Ajay watched as Jason's eyes followed Pagan's every step as he popped another crab Rangoon in his mouth. "You are to protect my son when he is outside of these walls, I have the finest armory and weapons at your disposal. Now, if we are to have a party like he did last night you are not to leave his side. Now, Ajay, darling this little rule applies to you as well. If any stranger offers you a drink. You are not to drink it, Jason, if he does you are to take him straight to his room for protection. Now..." Pagan paused as he walked up behind Jason, causing Jason to turn and look at him. Pagan gently tugged at his cuffs.

"If my son gets hurt in any way, shape, or form while you are watching him because you failed to do your job. You'll find this-" Pagan suddenly stabbed the table with a familiar pen, Ajay only sipped at his drink as he watched Jason's face, he was unmoved. "-stabbed through those pretty eyes of yours, darling." Pagan smiled as he gently pinched Jason's cheek.

"Alright," Jason mumbled, watching as Pagan took the pen out of the table. "Just one thing, my payment for all of this?"

"Yes, of course." Pagan went back to his seat and sat down. Ajay had to admit, the guy was rather ballsy, he didn't even flinch at Pagan's threat. "What are your terms for this?"

"Well, obviously, I don't want to sleep in a dog house outside, I'd like a room for myself, If I am to watch your son Ajish-"

"Ajay. not a hard name to remember really." Ajay chimed in and Jason only nodded bitterly.

"My apologies, Ajay... And of course, I'm going to need some money." Jason finished.

"Of course, you'll get paid every week you are serviced to my son, I hope these numbers make you happy, Mr. Brody." Pagan wrote something down on a piece of paper and slid it over to the young man. Jason snatched it up and looked over the numbers, gently he placed the paper back down and nodded.

"Alright, that'll do."

"Also, I already have a room set up for you, it's next to Ajay's room. Now please, enjoy the rest of your Rangoon, Yuma, Paul, a word with you two for a moment?" Pagan stood from his seat followed by Yuma and Paul, the trio then left leaving only Jason and Ajay at the table.

"...So... How is this going to work between us?" Jason asked Ajay, earning an eyebrow raise.

"Just like my father said, You are to protect me outside of the palace walls."

"Yeah, yeah, I got that little part, I mean, you're probably going to just leave without telling me or while I'm a sleep so you can-"

"Do I look like a Disney princess to you, Brody?" Ajay asked, cutting him off right there.

"...I wouldn't say 'Princess', but you are a prince-"

"If I am to leave the palace, I will get you. If I am to do anything, I will notify you. I am not one to disobey my father, Mr. Brody." With that Ajay stood up and walked away from the table, he then paused in the doorway and turned to Jason, "Tomorrow morning at dawn, I have plans to go snow leopard hunting, I'll see you at seven AM sharp, Mr. Brody." With that information just dropped into Jason's lap, Jason could only nod a bit dumbly.

"Yeah... cool, see you then...I guess." Jason watched as Ajay left and then pushed his plate away. He noticed that everyone had left their plates, all with only half eaten food, and he frowned a bit. Grabbing all the plates he got ready to put them in the kitchen when a woman suddenly snatched them out of his hands.

"No need to worry about the mess, dear you really think the king wouldn't have people to clean after him and his son?" The woman smiled at Jason as she put the plates on her hip with one hand and started to wipe down the crumbs with a rag in the other hand. Jason nodded at her and got ready to walk away, but stopped and turned back around.

"What can you tell me about Ajay?"

"The prince? Hm, not much to say about him. Really, honestly... don't worry too much about it, sweetie, the prince is a good guy, just give him time."

"Yeah, but, who am I protecting him from?"

The woman went quiet and looked up at Jason and sighed out weakly. "This country is currently in the middle of a civil war between the Golden Path and Pagan Min, the Golden Path wants Ajay for his blood-line and thinks Ajay should join them like he's the magical cure they need to win this war. Ajay gave them an answer: No, and they won't take the hint. Last night at the party the king threw one of the members managed to drug Ajay and almost got away with it if it wasn't for...Well, yours truly seeing the bastard taking off with Ajay. So, it's just nice to have some extra protection for the boy...Oh, and if you want to see what happened to the man from last night, go to the front of the palace. He's not going anywhere." The woman finished as she walked away from the table.

Jason's curiosity was piqued as he walked off to the front of the palace, past the royal guards, he could only grimace at their red coloring, back in Rook Island red meant pirates and people trying to kill you. but still, there, like the maid had said, was the man, at least, Jason thought it was. This poor soul was hung upside down from a tree from where anybody could see, his eyes were bugged out wide like they were ready to pop out of his skull. He had dried foam around his mouth and his tongue had to be about the size of somebodies fist, it was so huge. Across the man's bare chest was simply the word 'junkie'.

"My father drugged him."

Jason jumped back and looked over at Ajay, the prince sauntering towards him.

"Ah, because he drugged you. What did he drug him with?"

"Everything. Cocaine -liquid and powder, the roofies they found on him, Chloroform tables, heroin -liquid, mushrooms... everything." Ajay told Jason who only put his hand on his chest.

"Christ... That's insane."

"No, it's not, that's tame compared to how my father chooses to punish people. I still can't believe I fell for it." Ajay breathed out as he got closer to the body. "His name was Abhaya, in case you were wondering. Fitting in away." Ajay said as he started to walk away.

"Why? What does Abhaya mean?"

"Courageous."

With that Ajay had walked back into the palace, Jason simply looked Abhaya up and down before turning and walking back in himself, the less he questions it the better it seemed.

* * *

Sure enough, Jason was woken at seven A.M sharp the next day. Ajay dropping a weapon's bag on top of Jason waking him from his slumber. Honestly, Jason didn't want to wake up, the silkiness of the sheets under him and the soft pillow that cradled his head just right just made him want to stay in bed all day.

"Up. I told you, I want to go Snow Leopard hunting," Ajay urged him. Jason slowly sat up groggily, his hair a mess, his eyes half-lidded as he just sleepily looked at Ajay.

"Why? Why on God's green earth do you want to go Snow leopard hunting today?"

"Because, I've been planning this for months, the perfect spot on where to find these Snow Leopards, the perfect gun to kill them, and my dad's birthday is coming up here shortly he wants a new coat, I intend on getting him that coat. Are you reading what I'm putting down, Brody?" Ajay asked as he leaned into Jason's face.

"Uh... Yeah, I gotcha there. Just gimme five minutes to get ready."

"Good." With that, Ajay walked out of Jason's room, Jason watched as the Prince left, weapon's bag slung over his shoulder. Jason stretched loudly and quickly jumped out of bed. Walking over to the dresser, he slipped out of his silken pajama's that Pagan had given him as a gift. Changing into some weather appropriate clothing, he turned and walked out of his room where Ajay was waiting for him leaning against the wall his bag now against his elbow.

"Ready?" Ajay questioned as he got off of the wall.

"Yeah, I guess. Uh, just one question? Do you have enough weapons?" Jason asked, and Ajay could only smile as he reached into the weapon bag and pulled out an 1887 shotgun, tossing it to Jason.

"Oh, nice!" Jason exclaimed loudly as he looked at the gun, it's been so long since he last held a shotgun. "Yeah, leave it to me! With this baby, I'll get you all the Snow leopards your heart desires!" Jason gently rubbed the barrel of the shot gun and smiled broadly.

"Excuse me? You're not doing all of the hunting, I know how to hunt," Ajay calmly spoke causing Jason to look and watch at Ajay pulled out his own gun from the bag it seemed to be a sniper rifle, instantly Jason recognized it,

"An M-700! Equally nice!"

"Here! You might need this as well," Ajay reached into the bag once more. At this point, Jason wondered if that was Mary Poppins's bag given how much Jason had pulled out at this point, and the fact that he's pulling out even more things.

Ajay pulled out, what Jason thought to be, a machete, only this machete was way longer and curved inward.

"It's a Kukri, trust me, it'll come in handy when hunting, and just so I don't leave you in the dark... " Ajay paused and once more reached into his magical Mary Poppins's bag and came up with two syringes.

"Okay, what the fuck is this?" Jason asked as he cautiously took the syringes.

"If you get hurt, they'll help, they can even stop bleeding in some cases, trust me, you'll thank me for those. He'll if we run into some plants I'll show you how to craft them." Ajay plainly told Jason as he dropped the bag on the ground and managed to put everything on his person. He had his own Kukri and syringes. He strapped the rifle to his back with his own weapon holster, and strapped the Kukri on his left leg, he put the syringes away in what seemed to be a case for them that was strapped to his hip.

"Wow, this isn't your first hunt is it?" Jason asked when he saw just how prepared Ajay truly was for this. Ajay  _once again_  reached into the magical bag of wonders and pulled out a weapon holster and syringe case for Jason, handing them to him so Jason didn't have to try and carry everything in his arms.

"It's the only time I'm allowed to shoot guns, I'd like to hunt some of those Golden Path bastards, but my dad deems that too dangerous for now, my uncle Paul thinks I'm more than ready, but my dad disagrees, so, animal game it only is!" Ajay, rather bitterly, told Jason as Jason strapped up like Ajay.

"Hm, Interesting, maybe he just doesn't like the idea of you getting shot?" Jason hummed and Ajay just waved him off,

"I know exactly what it is, but nonetheless, are you ready?"

"As ready as I can ever be." Jason plainly put it with a smile on his face, "Lead the way, your majesty-"

"-Don't! Call me that!" Ajay snapped at him. It actually caught Jason off guard as he flinched, Ajay glaring at him for a few seconds before turning and walking forward.

"Geez..." Jason breathed out before following Ajay, honestly, if it wasn't his job to be the with Ajay at all times a part of him probably would have ditched him just for that little outburst.

Getting into the dining room, Jason saw Pagan sitting at the table talking to...Paul? Maybe.

"Oh? Going hunting today, Darling?" Pagan asked, ripping his attention away from Paul to the two of them. "Honestly, how we even have an animal population still in Kyrat is a mystery."

"Yep, we're going after some snow leopards today, we shouldn't be gone for too long," Ajay told Pagan, instantly Pagan stood, looking at tad worried.

"Snow leopards... yes... of course, just stay safe, Darling, okay?" Pagan asked Ajay earning an eyebrow raise from Jason, something about Pagan's attitude didn't seem right. Something seemed to be bothering the man.

"Of course, no animal has a chance against me," Ajay boasted proudly. "Like I said, we shouldn't be gone for too long-"

"Wait, wait." Pagan walked over to the two of them and handed them both Walkie talkies "Just in case you two get separated or need help, this can reach all over Kyrat so anybody can talk to you, commanders, myself, Paul, anybody. Stay safe. You." Pagan paused as he turned to Jason, causing him to tense up quickly. "Watch him. I meant it when I said I will stab you with a pen if he gets hurt while you're with him. Consider this your first test." Pagan backed down finally as he sat next to Paul once more.

"Right, let's go, Jason." Ajay quickly left as he clipped the radio to his side. Jason only shook his head slightly before following Ajay, he decided to keep the radio clipped to one of his pockets as he could only think to himself,

' _Christ, what the hell did I get myself into? I really think that Pagan guy is on the same level of crazy as Vaas. Almost anyway... still, this is good for me. I don't have to listen to mom's nonstop crying at night. It gives me something to do, and I still get to shoot guns while doing it.'_

"Okay, first thing, I'm driving." Ajay plainly told Jason as the two of them finally got outside.

"No problem," Jason mumbled, memories of him crashing off of bridges and shooting pirates from the back of trucks came back into his mind and all he could do was just shake it off as he squinted against the harsh Kyrati sun piercing his eyes. Once he managed to see normally Jason walked up to the truck and slid into the passenger's side. The truck was like a fridge causing Jason to numbly shake against the cold. Jason could see his breath in the air as he shook.

"It's not that cold." Ajay put it simply as he sat in the driver's seat.

"Easy for you to say! You lived here your whole life! It's freezing to me." Jason mumbled as he huddled himself up, "Turn on the heat!" He shuddered violently.

"Be happy you're with me, and not my dad, you'd be next to Abhaya in a heartbeat." Ajay could only chuckle as he turned the engine over, and sharply took off. Jason soaked up the heat coming from the vents. The truck rocked back and forth against the dirt road, and it seemed like it was jerking ever so slightly to the side making Jason feel a tad queasy as he shut his eyes rather tightly. For a while, there was nothing between the two but pure silence. Finally, it seemed like Ajay had enough of it as he suddenly turned the radio on.

_"This is Rabi Ray-"_

"No!" Ajay grumbled and changed the station quickly before the announcer had a chance to finish his sentence.

_"Pagan Min's light-"_

"I love my dad, but no." Ajay turned the station a few times before finally some music, English music, started playing,

_-always tease, tease, tease, you're happy when I'm on my knees-_

Jason knew this song! Shame he didn't really care for it, but it also seemed Ajay didn't care for it either as he changed the station once more, it was almost annoying Jason just how much Ajay was changing the station, but he held his tongue for now. Instantly another familiar song filled his ears,

_-I fly like paper, get high like planes, If you catch me at the border I got visas in my name, If you come around here, I make 'em all day-_

This time Jason just turned the radio off, he didn't like that song  _at all._  That song was the song he and his friends listened to before skydiving over the Islands, so needless to say, it doesn't hold a fond memory with him.

"Let's just... enjoy the silence, alright?" Jason smiled at Ajay.

"Very well."

That's just what they did for the next hour, they sat in silence. Awkward, awkward silence. This left Jason to his thoughts and memories.

" _Mom?" Jason entered the kitchen, he heard his mother scream from his room so he came down to investigate. Did he want to? No, not really, but he was really trying to act somewhat normal since Rook Island, he had to be, he couldn't go around killing people, now that he was back in the states and... safe from harm._

_His mother was not in the kitchen and Jason tsked his teeth, turning he walked over towards her room and gently rasped his knuckles against the door. "Mom? Are you in here?" He questioned, after a few seconds of nothing in response, Jason only shrugged and decided to just head back to his room. Until he heard a soft sob on the other side of the door, he sighed out and turned back around. "Alright, I'm coming in." He asserted himself and opened his mother's door._

_There, smack dab in the middle of her bedroom floor, was Jason's mother. His mother disheveled, her hair a mess, makeup running down her face from the constant tears, and her wiping those tears away sloppily. She was sitting on the floor with her legs wide open, she was in pajama's, thank god, but in between her legs was a large bottle of wine. Jason could only grimace as his mother started to chug straight from the bottle._

_"... Mom?" Jason asked a little shyly, he never seen his mother like this before, not even when his father died._

_"... Fucking pirates... pirates... " His mother spat out bitterly as she looked at the bottle of wine intensely. "My baby boy killed by... fucking pirates!" She sobbed out, she then took in a deep breath and whined pitifully._

_"Mom, Grant wouldn't want to see you like this, he's in a better place, you know? I mean, at least he didn't end up like Keith did-" Jason tried to reason with her, but he quickly had a to duck as his mother suddenly threw the wine bottle, it almost hit his head, thank god for his quick reflexes. The wine bottle shattered all over the wall, causing the red liquid to slowly spill down the wall like blood._

_"... And just what did you do to help your poor brother out, huh?" His mother asked slowly as she wobbly got to her feet._

_"What did I do?... What did_ I _do?!" Jason asked now enraged at his mother's question. "I'll tell you what I did! I killed every single one of those fuckers! I got Riley back! But you don't seem to care about him or me as much as you care about Grant! You don't even care that two of your three sons came back safe and in one piece! It could have ended_ much _worse!" Jason now screamed, his vocal cords stretching as he yelled at his mother._

_"... You killed those pirates?" His mother asked, her voice slightly slurred as she pointed at him._

_"YES!"_

_His mother then did something incredibly cruel. She laughed. Her laugh cold hearted as she just shook her head._

_"You can't even get a job, let alone kill pirates. Honestly, Jason... what? Did you... talk to them about video games until they killed themselves?" His mother shrugged bitterly at him. Jason only opened his mouth, ready to scream at her, how dare she! She had no idea what he went through on those fucking islands! Before he could even say a single word, his mother bumped her shoulder against his and snarled out to him her voice ungodly cruel and cold hearted,_

"It should have been you."

"Heellllo~ Earth to Jason!" Ajay waved his hand back and forth in front of Jason's face snapping him back into reality. "We're here, man," Ajay told Jason, Jason slowly blink and took notice of the fact that they weren't in the woods like he had suspected, but an outpost of some sort. The soldiers all looking at them, some bowing in respect to Ajay. Jason stepped out of the truck and looked around the outpost a bit, it wasn't much but it had a shit ton of soldiers, one by one, the soldiers started to circle around the truck. All of them either bowing or kneeling in front of Ajay.

"Your majesty! to what do we owe this pleasure!" One soldier, maybe the commander? Jason wasn't too sure, asked Ajay as he politely bowed in front of the prince.

"Nothing, we're just hunting up the hill," Ajay told the man. "I figured we should probably keep close to an outpost, just in case we need more ammo."

"Yes, yes of course... and this is?" The man pointed to Jason, causing Jason to narrow his eyes bitterly.

"Oh, this is Jason, he's with me."

Jason simply brought his hand up in a small wave to the giant man in red holding a gun, Jason had to fight the urge to pull out his own gun, seeing people in red... It always made him uncomfortable.

"Of course, your majesty-"

Jason noticed the very clear eye roll coming from Ajay.

"-Please, come and go as you wish."

"Of course, oh, and Commander?" Ajay asked the man before he could rush off once more. "If you need anything from me I have a radio on hand. If anything comes up don't be afraid to give me a call for help." Ajay simply said before ushering Jason away. Jason was quick to note that a lot of soldiers backed away in fear as Ajay continued to walk forward.

Once out of ear shot from the soldiers, Jason spoke up, "Wow, they really seem to fear you, your majesty." Jason couldn't help but tease. Suddenly he shirt was grabbed and he was face to face with Ajay.

"Look, I've put up with your attitude, for the most part, Mr. Brody, but I will  _not_  tell you this again, so read my lips carefully. Don't. Call. Me. That. Again." Ajay snarled bitterly towards Jason. Out of reflex, Jason slapped Ajay's hand off of his shirt.

"How dare you!" a soldier yelled out who had happened to see the fight going on. "I should behead you right here for even-"

"Drop it." Ajay spoke to the soldier quickly, he then turned to Jason, "Mr. Brody, I understand you are new to this whole thing, so I will let you off with a warning this time, watch yourself. Now... are we going to stand here and fight like school children, or do you want to go and hunt leopards with me?" Ajay asked him seriously. In all honesty, Jason was more than a little pissed and in all honesty, he had half a mind to turn around and just leave, however; he didn't feel like dying on the first day of his new job. Maybe shooting some leopards will calm them both down?

"Fine, let's go," Jason grumbled as he took his shotgun off of the holster, Ajay did the same with his gun. Ajay was quick to lead the way. Together they walked into the forest, the air between them tense as they both seemed to steal glances at the other person. Neither of them too happy at the moment.

Jason quickly stopped and looked around, he heard something, Ajay must have heard the noise as well because he stopped just as quickly. For a brief moment there was nothing between the two of them, then Jason heard it a low growl just beside him. Pumping the 1887 Jason turned and pulled the trigger. The gun recoiled harshly, and his ears rang from the shot, something Jason missed greatly.

"Well, it wasn't a leopard, but good shot nonetheless," Ajay spoke up once the forest seemed to quiet down around them. Jason looked to see what he had shot, he didn't know if he should be relieved or not that he had shot a bear right in the head. "Hm, we can use this..." Ajay walked past Jason and got down to his knees next to the bear and with no warning, he took his Kukri out and stabbed the animal in the side. He then reached into the bear's wound with one hand and start to cut and hack away inside the bear. Jason grimaced and cringed as Ajay pulled out a good chunk of meat. With his hands red with the blood from the bear Ajay just simply took the chunk of flesh and chucked it ways away from them. He then aimed his gun and waited.

Jason stood amazed as a snow leopard went charging up to the blood meat, the leopard started to chow down on the bloody meat. Ajay lined up the shot, held his breath, and fired. The leopard went down instantly as bits of brain matter and blood splattered on a tree behind it.

"Nice!" Jason exclaimed loudly as he brought his hand up for a high five. Ajay only looked at him strangely before walking over to the animal. "Just... gonna leave me hangin'?" Jason questioned as he brought his hand down.

Jason let out an exasperated sigh through his nose and couldn't stop the 'tsk' from leaving his mouth as he approached Ajay. Ajay was now busy skinning the leopard and didn't even acknowledge Jason as he, rather expertly, skinned the animal. Hearing another growl, Jason turned to see not one, but two Snow Leopard slowly stalking towards them, the animals snarling and showing their teeth as they approached.

"Must have smelt the blood," Ajay mumbled as he continued to skin the leopard before him. Jason growled out and stood between Ajay and the animals. Rising 1887 Jason aimed and fired at one of the leopards. Unfortunately, it didn't kill the animal like he wanted and next thing he knew he was on the ground using the gun as a shield between him and the blood hungry giant cat on top of him. The leopard was trying it's hardest to get to Jason, but this wasn't Jason's first run in with a wild animal. As quickly as he could he bashed the side of the leopards face with the barrel of the shotgun, giving him just enough room to let go of the gun with one hand and grab his Kukri. Once he got a hold of his weapon he reached up and sliced the leopard's face with the blade. The leopard jumped back and snarled at Jason. The leopard started to circle Jason, snapping at him every so often as it did so. Jason looked around for just a moment to see where the second leopard had gone too. That was when Ajay fired his gun. Jason didn't even look at Ajay, he just turned to see the leopard that was circling him dead on the ground. "Never take your eyes off of an animal circling you." was all Ajay had to say about that.

Jason then heard a growl and saw a blur of brown gunning it towards Ajay, thinking it was yet another bear, Jason aimed his gun and fired right before the animal could get to Ajay. The animal fell flat on its side and slid the rest of the way to Ajay's feet. It was at that moment Jason realized it was not a bear.

"Whoa..." Was all Ajay could say, Jason cautiously walked over to the animal and blinked. It was a leopard, yes, but it was brown, not white. Ajay immediately got to skinning the beast.

"Is there something special about that leopard in particular?" Jason couldn't help but ask his rather foolish question.

"Yeah, I think it's a rare leopard, the one Mr. Luthra has been trying to get his hands on for months now."

"Who's Mr. Luthra now?"

"My dad's tailor. It uses to be Mr. Chiffon, but he...uh... quit." Ajay put it simply once he finished skinning the animal.

"So, trying to not be rude here, but, you mentioned a coat for your father made out of a leopard, but...Leopard print? Really? Your dad strikes me as an alligator jacket kind of man." Jason put in his own opinion and Ajay could only chuckle.

"My dad likes all animal skins." Was all he had to say about that. He then started to skin the final leopard while Jason just stood behind and watched him. As he watched he was quick to note how very... not related Ajay was compared to Pagan. In almost everyaspect the two were different, Pagan was light skinned, Ajay dark skinned, Pagan had blonde hair, Ajay had black hair, and of course Pagan's flair, and Ajay general lack of flair.

"You two don't really look related," Jason said out loud, he honestly didn't even mean to say it, it just slipped out. Still, he couldn't take it back now as Ajay stopped skinning the animal and turned to look at him. His eyes narrowed dangerously at Jason, "I didn't... shit... I'm sorry." Jason apologized quickly waving his hands in front of him out of reflex. Ajay must have let it go as he went back to skinning the animal in slightly angered silence. Just as Ajay finished skinning the leopard the two of them quickly turned guns drawn at the sound of gun fire off in the distance. Swallowing hard, Jason and Ajay both went rushing towards the gun fire. It was coming from the outpost.

Getting closer Jason could see it seemed to be two fractions fighting. The royal army in red and another side in blue and yellow.

"AJAY GHALE!" Somebody who noticed the two yelled out and almost instantly the fight seemed to fight. Jason was quick to do his job and put himself in front of Ajay, his shotgun now aimed. That was when a man started to approach the two of them, the man's fist raised up. Jason saw that was a universal sign for the others to hold their fire. Jason kept his shotgun aimed and raised.

"Take one more step, and you'll lose that pretty face of yours!" Jason threatened. The man stopped he had a cocky smirk on his face as he turned towards Ajay who held his sniper rifle at the waist.

"Sabal." Ajay spat out.

"Traitor." Sabal countered back, his smirk then widened as he faux bowed before Ajay, "Or should I say your majesty?" Ajay let out an audible growl as he tensed up. Sabal then turned his attention to Jason. "I see. the prince is so incompetent that he needs someone to protect him."

Jason took a moment to look around, many of the royal army were dead along with several rebels, it looked like they were honestly vastly outnumbered as only three royal army soldiers were alive, but were being held hostage by the rebels. They were going to need backup, but the alarms were all shot to hell and back.

"Where's Amita, Sabal?" Ajay asked avoiding what Sabal had just said to him. "You two normally do this kind of thing together.

"In Banapur...buried. After the incident with Abhaya, your 'father' along with De Pleur took it upon himself to burn our village down, again. De Pleur killed Amita. Mohan would be so ashamed of you."

"Who?" Jason could only ask, all these name drops, none of which Jason knew, but the fact that this 'Mohan' would be so ashamed of Ajay struck Jason's fancy just a bit.

"Oh, your little guard dog doesn't know?"

"Drop it, Sabal."

"Mohan is-"

"I said enough!"

"Mohan is his true father, founder of the golden path, and here he is, defending Pagan till the day he dies."

'  _Huh, so that's why he doesn't look related to Pagan..._ _PAGAN! That's it.'_ Jason slowly reached over to his pocket where his radio was and managed to silently flip it on as the two of them continued their fight.

"Mohan killed my baby sister and mother! I have every right to side with Pagan in this war. Pagan is right about the golden path your nothing but heartless terrorists!"

Then, Sabal said it,

"Ishwari was a whore-"

Ajay lunged at Sabal, nothing but pure rage in his eyes as he goes in ready to attack, Jason was quick to stop the prince. Wrapping his arms around Ajay's waist Jason pulled Ajay back harshly.

"You're no good dead, Ajay,"

Then out of the blue, Ajay calmed himself down took in a deep breath. Jason, thinking it's over, let out a sigh of relief and let Ajay go. Once he let go of Ajay that was when Ajay pulled out a handgun, something Jason had no clue he had on him and fired hitting Sabal in the leg. Without even so much as taking a moment to think about what he has done, Ajay raised and fired two more times hitting two rebels in the head killing them both instantly.

"ATTACK!" Sabal roared out loud as he then rushed forward going straight for Ajay. Jason, remembering he had a fucking shotgun at his disposal, brought it up and struck Sabal in the head with it, knocking the leader back and out. He was about to shoot the man but raised his weapon to fire at the rebel charging at him. Quickly, one by one, he shot down. Up until the eight shot where he had to reload. That was when Sabal kicked the gun out of his hand. Sabal then grabbed Jason's hand and flipped him onto the ground.

"You shouldn't have come here, brother," Sabal growled at Jason as he pinned the other on the ground. Jason snarled out as he tried to reach for his shotgun, but it was just out of his reach. Where the hell was Ajay!?

Jason tried to look around for the prince, but didn't see him anywhere. Looking back at Sabal all he saw was the barrel of a magnum handgun pointed at his nose.

' _Do you know the definition of insanity?'_  Vaas's voice echoed around Jason's mind as for a moment he thought he was truly looking at Vaas, but he quickly snapped out of it and narrowed his eyes.

"What?" Sabal asked confused.

"What?" Jason asked him now equally confused.

"You just asked me if I knew the definition of Insanity..."

"... No, I didn't."

"HEYYYY~ SABAL!"

Both Sabal and Jason turned to see Ajay, Ajay dropping a dead golden path member to the ground. He pulled out a grenade.

' _He's not...'_  Jason thought eyes wide. Ajay then gripped the pin of the grenade with his teeth and pulled the pin out. Then he chucked it towards him. The two of them quickly scrambled away from the grenade. Jason going one direction, Sabal the other. "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" Jason tripped and hid behind a crate just as the grenade went off. With his ears buzzing, Jason felt dazed as he looked around dumbly. More Golden path members lying dead. One member still alive, the poor man was crawling along the floor trying to get away. Unfortunately for him, Ajay passed by the man and without even looking he shot the man with his handgun and continued walking towards Jason.

"Cold." Was all Jason could say about that as he stood. Ajay only grabbed an AK-47 on the ground and fired up in the air gaining any attention from any remaining golden path members.

"Anybody not in red will be shot! You have exactly five seconds to get the fuck out of the outpost or I will shoot you on the spot! Five-" Instantly several golden path members started to retreat.

"Fire," Ajay demanded to Jason. Jason only looked at the prince.

"You didn't even-"

"Fire!" Ajay demanded once more as he raised the AK up and started to shoot the remaining members down. Jason swallowed a bit, but grabbed his shotgun off the ground and started to fire at the retreating golden path members. He wasn't alone, the one remaining royal army guard, the one who had reprimanded Jason earlier for having the audacity to so much as touch Ajay, was shooting the retreating members as well. Once all the members were either dead or had managed to get to safety, Ajay put the AK down and slowly sat down on the ground. "That'll send a nice little message to Sabal." Ajay mumbled.

"We didn't get him in the crossfire?" Jason questioned.

"Nope, Sabal is too quick for that," Ajay told him softly.

"You shot him in the leg."

"He's still too quick for that."

"Something's not right..." Jason spoke up as he suddenly grabbed the radio clipped to his pocket.

"What's wrong?" Ajay asked as he finally stood up.

"I had this on the whole time. Yet, nobody showed up," He explained, showing Ajay the radio. Ajay unclipped his own radio and pressed the button.

"Dad, it's Ajay, you there?"

Ajay's own voice echoed on Jason's radio, but they didn't get a single response. So, Ajay tried again.

"This Ajay Ghale, does anybody copy?"

"It could be the radio tower..." The remaining royal guard told Ajay softly as he bowed. "The rebels highjacked the signal before they started their assault."

"Great. Welp, I know what our next mission is now. Thank you, we'll get to the radio tower and call for backup on your part. Please just stay on alert for a little while longer. We shouldn't be too long." Ajay told the soldier quickly.

"Of course..."

"Jason, here." Ajay handed Jason and AK-47, he took it happily. However, it seemed that Ajay wasn't done as he walked up to the commander. Jason watched as Ajay shut the commander's eyes and silently prayed. Then he took off the bullet proof vest the commander was wearing and handed to Jason. "You'll need this. Keep close."

"It's only my job to keep close to you," Jason chuckled weakly as he strapped the vest on. "Oh, I've missed this." Jason smiled fondly. Ajay only nodded at him and looked forward where the only thing left of the cars were just metal smoldering shells.

"I guess we're walking to the tower. Soldier!"

The guard stood and saluted to Ajay. "Stay on guard, we'll be back as soon as possible!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Alright, Jason, it's me and you, let's go."


	3. Where have you gone?

Jason had to stop walking as he looked over at Ajay,

 

the prince was currently texting.

 

"Seriously?" Was all that could escape Jason's mouth.

 

"You're one to talk, you've had your phone on you as well, It's been going off for the last ten minutes," Ajay mumbled as he kept on walking past Jason, never once taking his eyes off of his phone.

 

"What?" Jason turned and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. Turning his phone off of sleep mode, Jason saw he had seven missed calls. Before he could see who was calling him, his phone vibrated in his hand, and the name flashed on the screen.

 

_Riley_

 

Jason sucked in a deep breath at his brother's name, and just simply tucked his phone back into his back pocket. He then jogged up next to Ajay. He could see the radio tower off in the distance, it was still a long, LONG way away.

 

"Important call?" Ajay asked as he put his phone in his pocket.

 

"Do you see me on my phone? Anyway, did you tell Pagan about the outpost?" Jason asked him as they continued to walk.

 

"... Yeahhh..." Ajay sighed softly.

 

"You sound... disappointed?"

 

"Dad's not too happy that I confronted the Golden Path without proper backup. He's definitely not happy that I'm going to this radio tower." Ajay looked over at Jason before looking forward once more. "Buuut, after I explained to him that it's actually better for me to do this..."

 

Jason wanted to reply at one point in Ajay's conversation, but his phone went off again in his back pocket, So while Ajay droned on about his father. Jason stopped walking and could only sigh out, knowing damn well who was calling him, he still looked anyway.  _Riley_

 

"Do you need to take that?" Ajay asked him as he stopped walking as well. He had an eyebrow raised as he peered over Jason's shoulder to see just who was calling him so much.

 

"No, it's just... damn telemarketers won't leave me be! Even when I'm all the way across the world!" Jason snapped as he put his phone back into his pocket.

 

"I don't know much about America, but, I'm pretty sure your infamous telemarketers don't go by the name of 'Riley'," Ajay added air quotes around the name 'Riley' that only mildly ticked Jason off, but he let it be, for now, Ajay then started to go off on a story about Pagan and some scam artist that called the king. While Ajay told the story, Jason started to think as he walked forward with Ajay.

 

' _Interesting, he's aware Pagan isn't his father but calls him 'dad' all the time. Also from what I gathered, granted I was only here for a day, but Pagan is nothing short of a tyrant, and yet again, Ajay agrees and seems to worship the ground Pagan walks on... probably because the guy is a prince also it seems Pagan cares deeply for Ajay. After all, he hired me to protect him. Also, earlier there was something about... Oh right... Father killing his baby sister and mother...'_

 

"-And basically, in the end, the scam caller told Dad, "Fuck your dinner." Because, you know my dad played him and all, it didn't end too well for that man in the end... Let's just say, Dad, traced the number... Yeah." Ajay finished with a headshake.

 

"Hey, Ajay?"

 

"Hm?"

 

"I just want to shift the conversation for a moment... how and why did Pagan adopt you?" He questioned. Ajay stopped walking, that in turn caused Jason to stop walking. Ajay looked down at the ground and lightly 'tsked' his teeth. "Look, if you're not comfortable-"

 

"No, no, you were going to find out sooner or later, I guess I should tell you what I know," Ajay mumbled as he started walking again. Jason let out a deep breath and started to stride along with Ajay. Ajay only looked don at the ground for a few lingering heartbeats before he finally found his voice. "This is... what I was told growing up, so please understand there might be some holes in the story." Ajay pre-warned Jason before hand.

 

"According to Pagan, My dad, my biological dad, Mohan. Killed my baby sister when I was only two, how? I have no clue, I was never told how she died, but, I guess my mother had attacked him for it. Shot him. He lived and stabbed her. Then..." Ajay paused and only shook his head, "I guess he died from bloodloss? That's what I was told anyway."

 

"So... Why did Pagan adopt you? The son, of whom I'm guessing, is his enemy."

 

"My mother fell in love with Pagan while still being married to my dad."

 

"Okay then... oh... shit man..." Jason mumbled softly as he rubbed the back of his head, the realization that Ajay's sister was really his half sister hitting him in the gut. "So... why did he adopt you then?"

 

"According to my dad, he, and I quote, looked around at the carnage and saw little me crying after three days of being alone. He just couldn't let me be alone anymore, and he, himself, could not be alone anymore either."  Ajay sighed out, "Look, man, can we... talk about something else, please?"

 

"Yeah, cool, cool. No prob. I'd like that." Jason nodded as the air between them became heavy. Still, there was one question on his mind just a little one.

 

"... Lakshmana."

 

"Huh?"

 

"My sister's name. It was Lakshmana."

* * *

 

Jason let out a low whistle as he looked at the tower up and down, and had taken them a grand total of two hours to get to it, and here it was in all its glory.

 

"Last one to the top has to try and rewire the signal!" Ajay called as he suddenly took off full speed towards the tower.

 

"Whoa! Hey, no fair!" Jason yelled after him as the two of them now raced inside the bell tower. The bell on the floor, Jason couldn't help but get a closer look at the bell. It was a nice looking bell, shame it was useless now.

 

"C'mon Brody! are you even trying?!" Ajay called down, Jason looked up to see the man now a good third of the way up already. Jason jumped across and pulled himself up onto a ledge before knocking down some wood blocking his way.

 

Shaking his head, Jason knew there'd be no way in hell he'd catch up with Ajay at this point. Still, he started to climb. Yeah, he was use to this kind of thing back in Rook Island, but something about these towers made him go a little slower up the way. Especially the jumping parts. Hell, he almost met the bell on the bottom a couple of times and this was him being cautious. Still, in the end he made it to the top where Ajay was waiting for him.

 

"I took the liberty of looting the crates while waiting for you," Ajay mumbled as he adjusted the gloves on his hands a bit.

 

"Yeah... great, cool..." Jason breathed out as he put his hands on his knees. He was more than just a bit winded from that. He needed to get back into the craft of climbing shit here shortly. Ajay walked up to the radio resting on the tower and frowned a bit. "They bent the box. Do you know anything on wiring?" Ajay asked  Jason, who could only shake his head 'no' at this point. Ajay hummed out and looked at the wires in the box. He knew a bit of the wiring. tsking out, Ajay opened the radio a bit more and reached in carefully to plug the pulled wires back in to the best of his abilities. Once done, he popped the radio back together and changed the channel.

 

It was music to his ears as Rabbi Ray's voice vanished and his father's propaganda came back up. That wasn't all that sprang to life.

 

"Yes? Hello! Ajay!" His pocket radio went off, only to be echoed by Jason's radio as well. It was, no surprise, Pagan.

 

"Yes, dad? We just got the radio tower back up." Ajay explained as he stood, the floor beneath the two of them wobbled a bit to the side, making Jason a little unsteady.

 

"Ajay, I specifically sent you a text telling you and Jason to NOT go to the bell tower. I told you I'd have my men handle it."

 

"I didn't get that text," Ajay calmly shrugged, he wasn't lying, he was looking at his phone right now, no text, he couldn't help, but smile at his fathers deep inhale on the other side of the line.

 

Jason, on the other hand, looked completely petrified as he stood there his eyes the size of dinner plates. The fact that Ajay didn't do as his father wished seemed...unreal.

 

"Ajay, I'm looking at the message right here! I... oh... silly me... I didn't send it."

 

"That's what happens when you do coke, dad."

 

"Don't be smart with me right now, Ajay, I'm still very worried about you, with the Golden Path- nay -  SABAL in the northern region of Kyrat, who wants your head on a silver platter right now... no. I want you home now."

 

"Dad, isn't that why you hired Jason? So I'd be protected at all times? I mean, he's done one hell of a good job at protecting me so far." Ajay looked over at Jason, Jason, unsure of what to say, just gave Ajay a thumb's up and let him continue to talk to Pagan.

 

"Yes. I did hire Jason to protect you... Still Ajay, I just have this feeling that Sabal is always looking at you through a telescope..."

 

While Jason slowly drowned out Pagan's worried speech to Ajay, he simply took his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. Ten missed calls, four text messages. With a sigh, he unlocked his phone and looked at the texts. All from Riley, not a big surprise there...

 

_Hey._

 

_I'm worried about you._

 

_Mom asked about you._

 

_Please come home. It's been over a month._

 

Jason only tore his gaze away from the texts before him and looked down at the path leading away from the tower. He could see trucks off in the distance, he figured Pagan probably sent men to bring them home. Odd,  these trucks weren't red...

 

Jason almost dropped his phone when he realized those weren't Pagan's men.

 

"Shit! Golden Path coming our way!" He yelled to Ajay.

 

"What?! Ajay! You stay atop that bell tower!" Pagan demanded, "I'm already sending men to your location! Stay hidden!" Pagan snarled on the other side, he sounded beyond deadly serious with Ajay at this point. The line went dead right after that, the two of them only peered over the edge of the bell tower to get a look at the Golden Path rebels coming their way.

 

"Two trucks and an ATV, no Sabal in either of them," Ajay observed as he stared through his telescope.

 

"Damn, no grenades-" Hearing a soft ticking nose Jason turned to see Ajay a grenade in his hand pin pulled out completely.

 

"Whoops, I slipped," Ajay's monotone voice spoke as he dropped the grenade down below. The grenade landed on the hood of one of the trucks and within seconds the truck exploded killing everyone inside and causing the second truck to halt in its tracks.

 

"So much for staying hidden," Jason could only tease as he looked down below, the group already seeing the two of them and started to open fire from down below. "Got any more grenades?"

 

"Nope, that was my last one. Don't worry though I have an idea." Ajay smiled before suddenly grabbing the cord that was connected to the ground below, and zip lining down firing his handgun the whole way down.

 

"Shit!... you're insane..." Jason mumbled softly as he quickly followed Ajay down the cord. Not having a handgun, Jason could only take some of the bullets coming his way as he made his way down. "Ah shit!" Jason cried out as he clutched his bleeding shoulder. Thankfully he was a good ways down already so when he let go it didn't hurt him all that much. Hiding behind a tree, Jason pulled out one of the two syringes Ajay had given him. "Please be like Rook Island..." He breathed out softly. Taking a deep breath, Jason stabbed his arm with the syringe. Instantly he sighed out with relief as the pain in his arm vanished. Jason felt wired after that, like he could take on anything and everything in battle. Breathing out, he pulled his shotgun out, and turned shooting one rebel back killing him instantly. Pumping the shotgun he fired it at another rebel, doing the same thing, causing the man to fall back into a nearby tree. Running forward, towards the truck where one rebel was on a mounted gun, he got ready to fire at the man when Ajay suddenly reappeared from behind a tree and fired his handgun at the man it took a grand total of three bullets for the rebel to go down.

 

For a brief moment, Jason felt like they had won until an ATV almost ran him down from behind. He managed to jump out of the way, thankfully, but the man wasn't really aiming for Jason, nope he was going full-speed towards Ajay.

 

"TRAITOR!" The rebel screamed out at Ajay. Jason readied his shotgun, aimed, and fired before the ATV could hit the prince. Ajay wasn't dumb though, as he had fired at the rebel as well. Needless to say, the rebel fell off of his ATV. Ajay on the other hand jumped and quickly took control of the ATV. managing to turn before falling to his death off of a cliff, he turned the vehicle and rode up to Jason.

 

"Need a lift?" Ajay asked with a smile. Jason only chuckled in response and got on the ATV right behind Ajay.

 

"You know how to drive these things right?" Jason asked as he put his shotgun in his holster.

 

"Of course, I mean my uncle Paul showed me how to control one once when I was like... thirteen."

 

"What?!-AH!" Grabbing a hold of Ajay, the prince took off at an incredibly fast pace almost causing Jason to fall off. Wrapping both his arms around Ajay's shoulders Jason wasn't exactly aware of just how close to the prince he truly was. "Shouldn't we had stayed put-oh?" It was at that moment Jason realized Ajay wasn't planning on leaving the bell tower he was just doing circles around the bell tower for no true reason. Jason also realized that Ajay had previously just lied as he was doing expert turns as managed to circle the tower without hitting a single thing.

 

Jason finally lets go of Ajay's shoulders and just relaxed allowing the prince to continually circle the tower for the umpteenth time. Suddenly Ajay stopped and turned the ATV towards the dirt path. "What's up?"

 

"Sh. Hear that?" Ajay turned the ATV off and after a few seconds of silence between the two of them, Jason finally heard what Ajay was talking about. Gunshots, off in the distance. "Let's check it out." Turning the ATV back on, Ajay took off towards the gunshots, making Jason a little nervous.

 

"Is this the best idea? I mean, your father said to stay put, then again, he pretty much told you to not engage the Golden path and here we are." Jason mumbled rather bitterly.

 

"Look, I want to help in anyway I can. My dad doesn't like it because he's over protective and scared he's going to lose me like Lakshmana, but... I need to help Kyrat, for it's my country too." Ajay told Jason, Jason only pursed his lips to the side, but said nothing else to Ajay about it. A part of him does wish that Pagan doesn't kill him for Ajay's choices today. Ajay then stopped the ATV. This caused Jason to look around to see what had caused the prince to stop.  Then, with no warning he took off to the left at a such a fast rate that Jason had to clamp his arms around Ajay's shoulders just so he wouldn't go flying off.

 

"What's going on!?" Jason demanded as he held on to Ajay a little tighter than he really should have.

 

Ajay didn't respond right away. He kept on driving until Jason saw it. A gun fight going on between the Golden Path and Royal army. Jason expected Ajay to stop or at least slow down, but he didn't. Instead he rammed the ATV into a nearby rebel sending the person flying. Ajay let out a loud and boisterous 'WHOOP' and turned the ATV quickly to ram into another rebel. Which he did, but he didn't pay much attention afterwards, Ajay's head turned to the side as he watched the rebel fall, Ajay seemed too preoccupied in watching the gun fire between the two parties that he didn't look forward as the ATV still continued to move forward.

 

"CLIFF! CLIFF!" Jason screamed as he 'thwacked' Ajay's arm as hard as he could to get Ajay's attention back in front of him. Ajay put the brakes on as quickly as he could and swerved the ATV to try and avoid going off the cliff. They stopped just in the nick of time to avoid disaster. Jason sighed out wearily, and with relief. Rubbing his forehead Jason almost relaxed. The only sound between the two of them was the gunfire still going on between the rebels and soldiers just a few meters away. Jason looked down the cliff cautiously. There was a fast-moving river below them. Something Jason didn't want to experience.

 

Ajay turned the ATV's steering wheel to the front wheels faced away from the cliff he must have gotten ready to take off towards the gunfire, however, before he could put on the gas there was a long 'HONK' from a truck and the two of them looked up to see a rebel truck gunning towards them. Ajay tried to take off before the truck could plow into them, but he wasn't quick enough and the truck t-boned their tiny ATV causing it to go over the cliff.

 

"NO! NOT AGAIN!" Jason screamed out as he was thrown off of the ATV. He could only watch helplessly as the ground was gone, and he was flailing his arms hoping it'll stop his fall.

 

"SHIT!" He heard Ajay shriek out, he could see the prince suddenly huddled up in a ball as he fell. Seeing the water below getting closer and closer Jason shut his eyes and could only brace himself for impact.

 

* * *

 

Pagan was pacing around his office, the convoy didn't find Ajay atop, around, or even near the bell tower. Breathing heavily, Pagan looked out at Kyrat from his office, and lightly put a hand on his chest where his pen pocket was. Silently he took out the pen Ishawri gave him years back. Gently moving his thumb over the engraving on the pen Pagan could only lick his lips.

 

"Ishwari..." Pagan breathed out.

 

Just then, the door slammed open opened, and Yuma came storming in.

 

"Ajay has fallen off of a cliff," Yuma told him as she stood there her shoulders squared.

 

"What?!" Pagan snapped as he looked at her with shock.

 

"Apparently he was on an ATV that got hit by a truck. Jason fell with him. They're both gone."  Yuma told him a little cautiously. Pagan put his hand to chest, he felt his heart began to race.

 

"...Did you see his... body?"

 

"Body was swept by the river."

 

"Then... he might still be alive?!"

 

"... yes."

 

Pagan tucked his pen away and with shaky hands, he looked quickly at Yuma.

 

"Send a search party out. Follow the river, I don't care about Jason, if he's dead, then he's dead. I just want to find Ajay."

 

Yuma pursed her lips bitterly, "Shouldn't we be saving our resources for the Golden Path?"

 

"Yuma! I want Ajay found. Send a party out to find him. Now." Pagan ordered once more.

 

"... As you wish, Pagan."

 

* * *

 

His phone was ringing.

 

It was rather irritating.

 

Jason groaned loudly and reached over to find his phone. Feeling mud beneath his fingers, Jason opened his eyes and flipped over onto his stomach. Grabbing his phone, that was covered in mud but magically still working, he answered it without thinking.

 

"Jason Brody." He groaned his usual phone greeting.

 

_"Jason!? Where are you! Riley has been freaking out for the past month! Out of all of the irresponsible things you've done, this is the worst! You can't just run away!"_  It was Liza. Jason groaned out as she continued to rant and rave at him over the phone. Using his hands, he pushed himself up off of the ground and looked around. The river beside him rushing on by, his clothes covered and caked in mud from the bank that he was resting on. It was no longer daylight out as the moon hung above him and the air chilled to an unbearable degree.

 

_"HELLO?! JASON DON'T IGNORE ME!"_  Liza screamed at him over the phone, bring him back to her.

 

"Liza?... just... stop calling me, tell Riley I'm sorry." Was all he could say as he, rather rudely, hung up on her. Then, with no care in the world, he tossed his phone into the river. He groaned in pain and clutched onto his ribs. Must have broken one or two when he fell. "AJAY!" Jason cried out remembering the prince at that moment.

 

"AJAY!?" He called out again as he started to walk through the woods. "AJAY! IT'S JASON! SAY SOMETHING!"

 

"I'm over here, you don't have to yell." Came Ajay's voice to Jason's left. Rushing over to Ajay, Jason saw him sitting on the ground holding his left leg. "I broke my leg..." Ajay groaned out in pain.

 

"Can you walk?"

 

"No... I broke my fucking leg!" Ajay snapped irritably at Jason through gritted teeth.

 

"Okay, Okay, easy, lean on me, and keep off your leg," Grabbing Ajay's arm, Jason helped Ajay up. Ajay leaned on Jason, and they both sighed out. Slowly Jason walked while Ajay hopped weakly.

 

"No more syringes, huh?" Jason asked Ajay.

 

"No. I used my last one when we were at the cliff, I was shot. That's why I didn't pay attention right away. What about you?"

 

Jason checked his pockets quickly before shaking his head, "Must have fallen out with the rest of my things." He sighed out. Everything was currently missing from him, his guns, his radio, it was a miracle that his phone landed where it did.

 

"Okay, let's just try and get to the road, I can probably figure out where to go from there, hopefully," Ajay ordered, Jason nodded at the price, and together they walked through the woods. Jason was rather thankful that there were no animals around, at least no vicious ones. It didn't take long for Jason to see the road just up a head. Smiling, he hurried Ajay along, being mindful of the other's broken leg of course, and then they got to the road. Jason didn't know what made him happier, seeing the road, or seeing an abandoned car just to the left of them.

 

Ajay was oddly silently as he looked around quickly, his eyes scanning every inch of the landscape for them.

 

"What's wrong?" Jason questioned Ajay.

 

"I don't recognize anything."

 

"Well, there's a car, I can hotwire it and we can get back-"

 

"You don't understand."

 

"Understand what?"

 

Ajay paused as he hissed out in pain, his leg clearly bugging him. Still, with several deep breaths in and out, Ajay swallowed hard as he continued, "I know every landscape of the North. I should know where I am as soon as I see where I am."

 

"Okay?"

 

"I don't recognize anything. That means we're either in a part of the north I haven't seen yet, or..." Ajay trailed off softly.

 

"Or?!"

 

"We're in the south, which is bad."

 

"How so?"

 

"The Golden Path has control over the south."

 

"... So in short?"

 

"We might be fucked."

 

* * *

 

Riley Brody lightly tapped his fingers against the desk. Liza Snow sitting just across from him the cell phone in her hand. She looked pissed, beyond pissed. Her face turning an ugly shade of red as she sat there slowly shaking her head from side to side.

 

"What did he say?" Riley finally asked her.

 

"Never call him again. Face it, Riley, he's gone for good this time. At least he is to me, he clearly wants nothing to do with any of us anymore. Just let him go." Liza stood with a growl as she practically threw her phone down on the desk.

 

"... I know where he is." Riley confessed to Liza, causing her to look at him.

 

"What? How? He left no note-"

 

"Jason sucks at computers," Riley told her as he turned and went on the computer in front of him. Silently all he did was bring up the internet history and showed it to her.

 

"Plane tickets to... Kyrat? The fuck is that?"

 

"Some place in the Himalayas. That's all I know. I also know he didn't pay for the tickets himself, and he had to take a small plane to get there meaning-"

 

"He's trying to recreate Rook Island again... sometimes I wonder why he even bothered trying to save us if all he cared about was that stupid island!" Liza snapped as she crossed her arms angrily.

 

"... Liza-"

 

"No Riley! I know what you're thinking, absolutely not!"

 

"I can get us there, and we can just ask him why he's doing this! That's all I want is a reason!"

 

"Riley, I don't think he has a reason other than he wants to go and do things guns blazing."

 

"Liza... I'm flying off tomorrow, with or without you." Riley told her softly as he stood to put a hand on her shoulder. "I know where Kyrat is, I know where I have to stop to refuel up. I know all of it."

 

"... how long will it take to get there?"

 

"Truthfully? With a tiny plane like mine... about a week with how much I need to stop and fuel up."

 

"... I don't know Riley. I'll let you tomorrow. Right now. I need some time to fucking think about how much of an idiot Jason is." Liza sighed irritably as she stormed out of the room.

 

"I leave at dawn!" Riley called after her loudly before looking back over at the computer before him. "Kyrat... hopefully you won't be as dangerous as Rook Island was." 


	4. A new member

Ajay let out a low hiss as Jason helped him lay down on a bed. The two of them had hotwired a car and drove around, thankfully they managed to find an abandoned home, they decided to lay low for the time being.

 

"Fuck..." Ajay groaned as he sat up, his back against the wall.

 

"I'll see if I can find a splint or something for your leg," Jason suggested as he sat on the edge of the bed.

 

"No, just make a syringe, it's not hard," Ajay muttered as shut his eyes in pain, "You just need the green plants."

 

"The green plants? What? do you want me to just shove a bunch of grass in a syringe? I'm going to need more than 'the green plants' please." Jason responded rather snarkily towards Ajay.

 

"You'll know them when you see them." Ajay put it as plain as day. Jason just finally shrugged,

 

"Fine, fine. I'll be back."  

 

Getting off the bed, Jason let out a soft sigh and looked back at Ajay. Truth be told, he didn't really want to leave Ajay like this, he was rather vulnerable, but they really couldn't just wait for Ajay's leg to heal on its own. So, with some hesitance, Jason turned and walked out of the home, it didn't help that they both lost their radio's so no talking to one another either.

 

Shutting the door behind him, Jason let out a bitter sniff before letting out a harsh sneeze at the sunlight. Sniffling now, Jason looked around wondering just where these 'green plants' were. So with a bit of a frown on his face, he decided to just go west, it was more wooded and looked like a place where plants would be.

 

So, with nothing on him but his Kukri which was still attached to his hip, even after the fall, Jason headed out west. Being sure to stay low every time he heard a car pass by, Jason looked around for this... 'green plant'. Stepping over a fallen tree, Jason looked around, wishing he had a map or just  _something_ to tell him where he was in Kyrat. He saw a red plant sticking out of the ground, know that wasn't what he needed he needed. So onward he went. He quickly went quiet and ducked down low as a blue truck stopped in the middle of the road.

 

"DAMN TRUCK! BROKE DOWN AGAIN!"

 

Jason heard a rebel shout as the rebel gave the truck a good kick to the tire. Narrowing his eyes, Jason stayed crouched down as he cautiously stuck one leg out and silently stepped forward and took out his Kukri. Taking a cautious step forward Jason watched and waited for the man to walk around the truck, thankfully not seeing him, and then stopping a little up the road, his back turned to Jason. Jason could see it, a nice AK-47 the rebel was holding. Making sure nobody else was around, Jason charged at the man. The rebel turned only to receive a Kukri to the neck. Some blood sprayed on Jason's face as he pulled the Kukri out of the man's neck and fell down. He clutched his neck, blood spewed from his wound, between his fingers, and he kicked his legs in an air for a few seconds before finally going limp on the ground.

 

"Thank you," Jason grabbed the man's AK and strapped it around his shoulders nice and snuggly. Going over to the truck, Jason could see smoke coming out of the hood, knowing a bit from his time in Rook Island, he popped the hood open and moved some smoke out of his face as he looked at the engine. Letting out a bitter 'tsk' from his mouth, Jason huffed out.

 

"I need a blowtorch." He muttered out loud. Pushing the hood back down, Jason saw a glimmer of silver from the inside of the truck. "Hello..."

 

Walking around the truck, Jason opened the front door and grinned as he grabbed the blowtorch. Rushing back to the truck's hood he popped it back up and quickly went to work. Within under a minute he got the engine fixed. "Great." He smiled as he slammed the hood back down, he rushed into the truck and did a three-point-turn turning around. Yeah, he wasn't staying hidden anymore, but it was faster for him to find these green plants.

 

Driving, a tad recklessly, Jason kept a sharp eye out for any green plants that might stand out to him. "I should recognize it... I should...." He kept mumbling to himself, he then stomped on his breaks when he saw it. A large green plant just standing up out in the open. Getting out of the truck, Jason smiled as he looked at the plant, making sure it was in fact solid green. Once he saw it was, he cut the plant and grinned as he stored it away. "I'll have Ajay make his syringe, he'll have to show... me..." Jason was in the middle of turning around when he saw something sharp pointing at him when he managed to fully turn around, he saw a girl standing in front of him, the arrow pointed at his face as she was ready to shoot.

 

The girl couldn't be older than fourteen, wearing a pink and blue jacket, blue jeans, and flats. She was dark skinned, nothing surprising, her hair black as night and up in a ponytail.

 

Jason felt his eyes dart down to look at the girl then with only a swift movement of his hand he knocked the bow and arrow out of the girl's hand.

 

"Ow!" The girl snapped as she rubbed her sore hand.

 

"What are you doing?" He asked the young girl as he put his hands on his hips and leaned down so they were face to face.

 

"Working for the Golden path!" She cried out as she tried to throw a punch, Jason caught her fist in his fist. It shocked the poor girl as her eyes went wide. He then in one quick movement he managed to turn her around so her back was to him and her fist was stretched back behind her at a slight angle. Jason may be an asshole at times, but he still knew that he didn't want to cause this tiny child any pain, so he just made sure it was uncomfortable, but not painful.

 

"Now... are you really working for the Golden path? Or are you just saying that?" Jason asked her.

 

"I'm not answering a traitor!" The girl screamed out. Jason let out a tsk before shoving the girl away from him.

 

"Then don't waste my time. I'm on a mission."

 

Walking back to the truck, Jason had to stop when a rock suddenly hit the back of his head. "Traitor to the Golden path!" The girl screamed loudly at him. Jason turned and only crossed his arms, looking at the girl. "Death to Pagan Min!" She yelled out as she threw another rock, this one missing him, it hit the truck with a dull 'thud' and fell on the ground. "DEATH TO AJAY GHALE!" She shrieked as she went to throw another rock, however; she paused when she saw Jason now storming his way, she tried to run back, but she tripped and fell back to her side. She looked up at Jason with fear in her eyes now. He can see her chest moving up and down in a frantic matter.

 

"Girl... you're lucky I'm not a soldier, something tells me you'd be dead ten times over by now," Jason simply told the girl as he loomed over her. "Please..." He picked her up by her arms and stood her straight up, "Stop throwing rocks at me, and go home to your parents."

 

"My parents are dead!" She suddenly kicked him in the shin causing Jason to let go of her as he cried out, and clutched his shin jumping up and down, "Killed by the royal army!" She screamed loudly as she turned and faced him.

 

"Little brat... " Jason hissed in pain.

 

"How can you work for Pagan Min, and Ajay Ghale?! Do you know what they've done to this beautiful country?! Do you know how many people have become slaves and soldiers for Pagan?! How many Pagan killed just to kill?!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

 

"I only wanted a paycheck, and to get away from my psychotic mother. I really didn't care about anything else." Jason admitted to the girl as he shook his head. The girl almost went to spit on him, he could see it, nope, Jason drew the fucking line at spitting. In one movement he squished her face between his thumb and other fingers. "Don't even fucking think about it, girly." He growled. "Now, do you want a death wish? or can I just fucking leave?" He asked her with a snap in his voice as he stood more fully.

 

"Just go! and don't come back around here!" She slapped his hand away from her face and ran away from him, "I mean it! Just go!"

 

Jason only shook his head and got up slowly. Going back to his truck, he got the driver's side door open when he heard it.

 

"There you are, Bhadra!"

 

Turning, Jason ducked down in his truck, keeping his head hidden he watched as a couple of rebels seemed to have the girl in their sights.

 

"Sabal has been looking for you, what are you doing away from the camp?!" One of the men grabbed her by her arm and started to drag her towards their own truck. Jason noticed that she started fighting with the older rebel. There was something about the way the man looked at her that made Jason's skin crawl.

 

"I was just- now! Stop it! I-I- Ah! NO WAIT-!" Before she could finish she was shoved into the truck, Jason narrowed his eyes. She didn't sound too thrilled about going back to the Golden path camp...

 

"Dammit." Jason huffed as he turned the engine over, realizing that this was a kidnapping on the Golden path's part. Truthfully, he didn't want to save the little brat, but... he wasn't  _that_  big of an asshole that he'd ignore a kidnapping right in front of him. Stomping on the gas he quickly gained speed and started closing the distance between their two trucks. Going on the outside from the other truck, Jason swerved and hit the truck's bed, this caused the truck to swerve just a little a bit. One of the rebels started to shoot at him out the window, it busted his windshield. "Fucker!" Jason growled wishing he had a hand gun of his own. Speeding forward, he hit the truck with his once more.

 

This time something else happened. The truck swerved a bit outward. Its bed hit a tree causing the truck to fishtail out of control, the rebel tried to stomp on his breaks, but he didn't do it in time as he hit another tree head on, throwing the driver out of the windshield, and the guy shooting at Jason out of the window. Both were dead. Jason stopped his truck and got out, hoping he didn't accidentally kill the girl he rushed and opened the truck's door. The girl was in the back, between the seats and floor. She was passed out, one arm over her head.

 

"Alright... This might just be a double kidnapping for you today, if so, sorry." Jason apologized as he picked Bhadra up and threw her over his shoulder. "Ajay is probably going to have some questions...."

 

* * *

 

"I said a green plant, not a child!" Ajay yelled at Jason as Jason placed the still unconscious Bhadra on the bed next to him. "... Explain! Please!" Ajay demanded as he moved a little for give Bhadra some room.

 

"I'll explain while you make your syringe," Jason simply put it as he pulled a chair up and handed Ajay the syringe and a plant.

 

"Wait, I can't do it like this. Here, take the plant and boil some water with the plant in the pot while it's boiling." Ajay explained to Jason slowly.

 

"Alright..." Jason responded.

 

Thankfully, the stove was literally ten steps from where Ajay and Bhadra lay. Not seeing a pot, Jason opened all the cabinets. He found a pot up on the top shelf and filled it up with water from the tap. Turn the stove on, he threw the plant in the pot and put the full pot on the stove. Turning the tap off. Jason turned and sat down.

 

"Alright... explain," Ajay ordered.

 

So Jason tried to sum up everything within the span of ten minutes as the water boiled, in the end, Ajay just looked at the girl.

 

"Bhadra... I thought she looked familiar," Ajay sighed out softly as he looked at her.

 

"You've met her?"

 

"Once, the first time the Golden path managed to kidnap me. Sabal mentioned that she was to be the Tarun Matara if he were to lead the Golden path," Ajay softly filled in Jason, he quickly looked at Jason and sighed out once he noted Jason's confused look, "A Tarun Matara is basically who Sabal believes to be the goddess that represents the land."

 

"Oh, that's not that bad-"

 

"It's basically an excuse for Sabal to fuck little girls."

 

Jason could only blink in surprise at the reveal. "What?!"

 

"Yes, my mother was Tarun Matara, and was forced to marry my father at the age of twelve, Bhadra here is no different in that aspect. Seeing how Sabal no longer has competition he probably almost got what he wanted, but something tells me, that if you found Bhadra away from the camp... then it's not what  _she_  wanted." Ajay finished

 

Jason got up and walked over towards the pot, the water now boiling, and an interesting shade of green to boot. Turning it off, Jason grabbed a syringe and filled it up to the top. Capping it off he walked over to Ajay.

 

"There should be enough for two, go a head and give her the second one, alright?" Ajay asked Jason as Jason stuck Ajay in the arm.

 

"Gotcha, boss." Jason went over to the pot again, this time with a clean syringe and started to fill that one.

 

"God..." He heard Ajay breath out, turning, Jason saw the prince standing up, he still had a bit of a limp to his step, he probably needed the other one.

 

"Ajay-"

 

"I'm fine, give it to her." He repeated the order this time a bit more sternly.

 

"Alright, alright," Throwing his hands up, Jason walked over and silently stuck Bhadra in the arm. Within seconds, Bhadra opened her eyes, she seemed confused at first, until she suddenly became angry.

 

"YOU!" She roared pushing him away from him.

 

"Easy, we aren't going to hurt you," Ajay spoke softly as he grabbed her arms, she struggled against him for a few seconds, tears springing in her eyes as she tried to get away from him.

 

"You refuse the Golden path! Of course, you're going to hurt me!" She cried loudly.

 

"No, I'm not. I refuse the Golden path for reasons of my own, but I don't harm children. I will  _never_  harm children," Ajay softly told her.

 

"Pagan Min does! Pagan Min killed my parents!"

 

"I'm sorry about your parents, Bhadra. I truly am, but you have to know that you are on the wrong side in this war. The Golden path wants to use you! You have to know this. Bhadra, you have to know..."

 

"Of course I know! But I want a Kyrat that's free of Pagan Min's tyranny!" Bhadra jerked her arms out of Ajay's grip. She turned and wrapped her arms around herself as she seemed to tear up.

 

"Bhadra... do you really want to be the Tarun Matara?" Ajay breathed out as he asked her softly.

 

"... I..." Bhadra sniffled softly, Ajay gently patted her back as she started to wipe her teary eyes. "I just want a free Kyrat..." She confessed to Ajay. Jason watched the two from the doorway as he leaned against the door frame.

 

"Bhadra... my father is no saint, I will be the first one to tell you this, but the Golden path... they'll destroy this land."

 

"How can you say that? The golden path- no- Sabal, he wants nothing more than to destroy Pagan and bring glory to Kyrat!"

 

"Bhadra, I think we both know what Sabal truly wants..."

 

They stood there for a few seconds as Bhadra sniffled again and suddenly started to cry a bit harder as she sobbed out. 

 

"Bhadra, I want to help you, you don't deserve the life Sabal is trying to force upon you, you know this, and so do I."

 

"Uh...  speaking of Sabal..." Jason spoke up causing both of them to turn and look at him. Jason shut the door and ordered both Ajay and Bhadra to get down on the floor. All three of them huddled beside the bed, they all seemed to hold their breath as they all heard the sounds of trucks stopping.

 

"- I'm sure they went this way. Mr. Sabal."

 

Jason narrowed his eyes at that voice, it was kinda... southern? and familiar.

 

"Really? It wasn't the stolen truck and car in the front that gave it away?" Sabal responded rather sarcastically to the other man. "Search around the front, I'll search around the back."

 

Jason looked at the two of them, before peeking up through the dirty window, he couldn't see the man's face, but he could see a big belly.

 

"I'll be right back." He told Ajay as he grabbed his AK and silently made his way towards the front door. He knew he wasn't going to need his gun though. Watching, and waiting, Jason narrowed his eyes and swung the door open. Grabbing the other man, he threw him inside.

 

"Are you crazy?!" Ajay whispered loudly as Jason just shut the door once again and put his gun away.

 

"Hiya, Hurk."

 

"Huh?... Jason! Buddy!" Hurk got off of the ground and wrapped Jason in a tight bear hug, and practically crushed Jason's bones as he hugged Jason even tighter. Jason let out a soft gag as Hurk's stench hit his nose. "I had no clue they were talking about you when they said the prince got a new bodyguard named Jason!" Hurk smiled as he then turned and took notice of Ajay guarding Bhadra.

 

"So... uh... this is awkward..." Ajay responded. Hurk put Jason down and looked between the two.

 

"Hurk, this Ajay Ghale, the Prince of Kyrat, and that's Bhadra, a girl who really shouldn't be here right now."

 

Hurk scratched his head a tad confused, "Now you see, Jason. I was given orders to shoot the prince-"

 

"He's my friend, Hurk. You're working for the wrong side..." Jason spoke softly to Hurk as he lightly tapped his friend's shoulder.

 

"Hurk? Where did that idiot go?!" Everyone heard Sabal scream outside.

 

"Aw, Jason, I can't say no to working with you!" Hurk hugged Jason once again as he squeezed the smaller man once again. "I'll distract Sabal, you guys get to a car," Hurk told them as he put Jason down. "Oh! Oh!" Hurk then shoved something into Jason's hand. It was a radio. "To stay in contact with me when you guys get away." Hurk then gave Ajay and Bhadra a nod before disappearing through the door.

 

"Keep low," Jason ordered the two of them. Seeing how he was the only one with a gun on him he went first slowly shying through the door.

 

"- were they in there or not?!" Sabal demanded his back turned to them. 

 

"No..." Hurk replied with an oblivious shrug. Jason only smiled and shook his head in response to Hurk. Playing the idiot as normal. He could hear Ajay hissing in pain, Jason really needed to get him another syringe.

 

Bhadra seemed like she was torn on what she wanted to do, but, she never spoke up as the three of them managed to slip out of the door. Keeping low Jason hurried up towards the truck just parked on the road.

 

"I better check myself, just in case you missed any trap doors." Sabal almost turned, but Hurk suddenly grabbed the man and held him in place.

 

"I'm telling you, I didn't see them!" Hurk responded angrily.

 

"What?! Let go of me!"

 

"Go. go..." Jason whispered to Ajay and Bhadra quickly as they managed to get around the corner and out of sight.

 

"Oh.. sorry, I didn't mean to cross a line, but if you want to look, go a head." Jason heard Hurk say once the coast was clear.

 

"I do hope not all American's are like you, my friend," Sabal responded to Hurk.

 

Jason, Ajay, and Bhadra ran to the truck. Ajay got in the driver's seat, Bhadra in the middle, and Jason was squished against the passenger side door. Ajay peeled out of there at a fast rate, no doubt gaining Sabal's attention, but by the time he left the home it was too late.

 

"We need a safe place to rest... and to stock up on weapons." Ajay finally spoke as he paid attention to the road in front of him.

 

"Well... there is your father's home, that could be a great safe house," Bhadra responded to Ajay.

 

"... Mohan's home?" Ajay asked. Bhadra nodded,

 

"Yes, but it belongs to Noore now."

 

"Noore works for my father, so that's not a problem for me... but no, we need to stock up, like I said. We have to make a little stop before we go there."

 

"And that is?" Jason asked him.

 

"De Pleur fortress. In other words, we're taking a stop at the city of pain." 


	5. One hell of a trip

Paul was ready to pull his hair out, Pagan was on the warpath and soldiers were dying left and right because of it. Ajay was missing, and so was Jason. Paul had his remaining soldiers go on an all-out hunt for Ajay. This left the city of pain defenseless against rebel soldiers, if they chose to get brave that is. It seemed that a couple chose to get a little brave as a rebel truck was coming his way. Grabbing a shotgun, Paul pointed it at the truck.

"Turn around!" He demanded, the damn windows were tinted so he couldn't see who was inside, not that it mattered, whoever was in there was going to meet Mr. shotgun in a second if they didn't oblige. The rebel clearly didn't listen, and Paul pumped the shotgun, "I mean it!"

The driver side door opened and two hands popped out, showing defeat.

"Easy Paul, you shoot me you die," came a familiar voice. Ajay then poked his head out.

"Ajay! Jesus!" Dropping the gun, Paul sprinted to the prince and gave him a hug. "We thought you were dead! And Jason is alive to boot!" Paul observed inside the truck. There was a girl with them, a little girl, but he didn't focus too much on that at the moment. "Pagan is tearing the entire country apart looking for you! Oh, he'll be happy to hear you're okay." Paul breathed out softly.

One by one the trio shuffled out of the truck. The girl had her eyes narrowed at Paul, Ajay saw this and lightly tapped her. "He's alright," Ajay whispered to her before focusing back to Paul. "Paul, this is Bhadra, she's with us for a time being, don't worry too much about her for now." Paul only nodded as he brought his radio up to his lips. Instantly he started to radio Pagan. As he did that he failed to notice just what Jason was doing.

Jason had walked over towards the big boxes of Ammo and guns. Instantly, Jason started taking as much ammo for his AK that he could carry. Grabbing the discarded shotgun, he tossed it to Ajay, who caught it with ease.

"Pagan, good news we found Ajay and Jason." Paul started to talk on his radio. Paul now had his back turned to the trio. Bhadra narrowed her eyes once more, the thought of having to be with these people who sided with Pagan! It made her skin crawl! She didn't know if this was worth it or not...

 _"Is he-"_ Pagan asked on the other side.

"He's alive, Pagan. They're both alive-Got to go." Turning the radio off, Paul had turned around to see the two stocking up. "What are you two doing?"

"Gearing up?" Jason questioned as he now stood there looking like a kid that got his hand caught in a cookie jar. Ajay pumped the shotgun once as he was now reloading.

"No. No. Ajay, I think you've done enough adventuring today," Paul spoke clearly and plainly to the prince.

"I wouldn't call it adventuring, Paul..." Ajay paused and looked over at Bhadra before sighing out deeply. Grabbing Paul by his shoulders, Ajay chose to actively walk away from Bhadra.

"I know what he's talking about... he wants to destroy the Golden path... he just doesn't see what good the Golden path really and truly is!" Bhadra huffed as she crossed her arms.

"Bhadra, I think he wants to destroy the Golden path because he can see what they really are," Jason spoke up as he looked at his nails.

"Oh yeah, and just what are they?" Bhadra dared Jason to answer that question truthfully, Jason let out a bored sigh and just shook his head.

"Religious terrorists."

"You take that back!" Bhadra demanded angrily.

"Bhadra, the Golden path doesn't want the 'good of Kyrat' as they put it. They want their old religions back. Aka. Fucking little girls because their god said it must be done." Jason told her plain as day.

"You can't speak for anybody in Kyrat! You don't even live here! Like you, yourself, said you're only here for a paycheck." Bhadra growled at him.

"-So we have to put a stop to Sabal before he finds another 'Tarun Matara' who's just a child," Ajay spoke quietly to Paul. "I honestly wished you didn't kill Amita-"

"What? I never killed Amita,"

"Paul now isn't the time to lie-"

"I'm being serious, when we attacked them the second time I never went anywhere near Amita, truth be told, I never even saw her during the attack, honest to god, Ajay." Paul slashed his arm through the air, he then looked over at Jason and Bhadra before going back to Ajay. "Did Sabal tell you that? Because, I'm no genius, but I can tell you he's been looking for any reason to get rid of Amita lately especially if it has something to do with the Tarun Matara discontinuing."

Ajay looked back over at Bhadra and Jason, like Paul had, the duo were now clearly having some sort of fight as Jason now had his hands on his hips, and was in her face.

"All the more reason to keep her away from Sabal then."

"Sabal would never kill Amita! Never!" Bhadra screamed out in rage to Ajay as he told her the news. The two of them were now talking alone by the truck as Jason was over with Paul talking about guns.

"Bhadra, think about, he wanted Amita out of the way for a long time now, and what's a better time to kill your rival than during a raid? Blame it on the other guys," Ajay calmly spoke as he gotten down on one knee so he was eye level with her.

"Sabal is an honest man!"

"He had somebody drug me."

"He would never..." Bhadra let out a soft whimper as the truth was slowly starting to dawn on her. "He... he told me he loved me... that he would do anything to keep me happy."

"Bhadra-"

"He told me all that the day before the raid..."

"Oh, Bhadra."

Bhadra sniffled softly as she then started to rub the tears away from her eyes. "He would-...he couldn't..." she started to sob, and with no hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Ajay's middle.

"It's going to be alright," Ajay softly told her as he gently hugged her back. "Now, I need you to go with Paul, he'll keep you safe." Bhadra backed away from Ajay and looked over at Paul.

"Are you sure?" She asked him softly, "This is Paul, the torturer here," She whispered sacredly.

"He will not lay a finger on you, if he does, I will personally cut them off," Ajay promised her. Bhadra nodded slowly.

"Jason! C'mon. We're heading off to my father's old home." Ajay yelled out to Jason. Paul walked up, standing behind Bhadra as he watched the two interact.

"Ajay, are you sure about this?" Paul couldn't help but ask him. "Pagan will probably be on his way here shortly. If you're not back, he'll kill me."

"Let me see your radio," Ajay demanded, Paul did as he was told, and Ajay spoke clearly into it.

"Dad?"

_"Ajay, darling, are you hurt?"_

"No, listen. I'm not staying in the city of pain. I'm going to be at Mohan's old home with Jason. Come here, not to the city of pain,"

_"Ajay, why are you going to that old hut?"_

"Because there's something I need to do real quick. Plus it's the safest place for us to hide out in,"

_"Alright then. I'll meet you there."_

With that Ajay tossed the radio back to Paul. "Stay safe," Paul ordered.

"No worries. You ready Jason?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Jason had to admit, he was having fun with this. At first, he hated it, the idea of babysitting some spoil price, but now. Looking over at Ajay as the price drove along the road, Jason sniffed and rubbed his nose. Ajay didn't notice Jason's look as he focused on the road.

For a while, there was nothing between the two of them as Ajay shifted in his seat and looked out the back window. He then narrowed his eyes when he noticed an ATV suddenly gaining speed on them. Jason cocked his AK, "Open the sunroof." Jason ordered. Ajay looked back through the rearview mirror and nodded, pressing the button on the top next to the light buttons, opening the sunroof just far enough for Jason to wedge himself out of the sunroof. Raising his AK-47 Jason got ready to shoot whoever was on the ATV, but he put his gun down once he noticed who was racing towards them.

"Hey there, Jason!" Hurk called out as he was now next to their truck. Hurk had a noticeable black eye, and several bruises littering his face and arms.

"Hiya, Hurk! What happened to your face?" Jason yelled over the winds as Ajay continued to drive forward.

"Ah, it's a long story, look! I'm on your side now, Buddy, if you need me, I'll be around!" Hurk turned the ATV and drove it towards the left away from them. Jason smiled and dropped down into his seat, making sure his AK was face down against the floorboard he watched as Ajay closed the sunroof.

Ajay seemed to know exactly where he was going as he drove all the way to a giant cliff.

"Oh, hell no," Jason could only say as he readjusted his AK on his back. "How are we going to get to that tiny shack all the way up there?"

"Easy," Ajay responded, watching as Ajay walked off a bit, Jason followed him, and watched as Ajay approached an obviously dead body wrapped up in a rope. Ajay suddenly pulled on the rope and untangled it from the dead body to show a grappling hook that was embedded in the back of the poor guy's head. Ajay swung the grappling hook and hooked himself up, slowly Ajay climbed up to the first ledge. Jason watched as Ajay leaned over the edge and Jason was pretty sure Ajay was smirking.

"Your turn!" Ajay yelled down to Jason.

"Aha." Jason sarcastically laughed as he crossed his arms. "Do you want protection from your handsome bodyguard or not?" Jason yelled up to him. Jason could hear Ajay laughing softly from his ledge.

"I guess I do, watch out!" Jason watched as the grappling hook came down, and he backed up as it hit the ground with a loud 'thump'. Jason walked over and grabbed the hook and rope. Looking up, he frowned a bit, hopefully, he can get this in one try. Swinging the hook he tossed it, thankfully it actually hooked. Slowly climbing up the rope, Jason got to the tiny ledge where Ajay was waiting for him.

With the two of them now on the ledge, Jason felt his legs go weak in fear of falling. Ajay took the hook and swung it, hooking it Ajay started to climb, giving Jason room to breath and center himself on the ledge. Jason watched as Ajay flawlessly climbed to the next ledge. Breathing out heavily, he waited for Ajay to toss him the hook, but Ajay just left it hooked.

"I figured this might be easier," Ajay called down, Jason nodded and grabbed the rope, climbing up, Jason grunted deeply his arms were starting to hurt.

That's how it went for, what felt like, an eternity, Ajay went first and Jason climbed after him till they got to the top. By the time they both got to the top, Jason's arms felt like jello. Putting his useless noddle arms on the ground of the desolated home, Jason breathed out heavily.

"It's not THAT hard, Jason," Ajay put his hands on his hips as he looked at the house.

"Say's the guy who clearly does that for fun..." Jason breathed out.

"C'mon, let's go inside."

"Are you sure it's not locked?"

"Nah, nobody locks doors in Kyrat."

"It's a wonder why people keep getting kidnapped then."

Ajay laughed softly and patted Jason on the shoulder, "Let's just get this over with."

Ajay and Jason both walked up to the door, Jason decided to go in first, after all, he was Ajay's bodyguard. Opening the door Jason was met with a familiar scent, then he noticed the two British fellows.

"Hand it over, you Chav!" Jason watched as one of the two brits snatched, what was clearly, a hookah pipe out of the others hands, and took in a deep long drag.

"I'm telling you, Yogi, this next batch will be the best stuff we've made in decades!" The other spoke as he suddenly pulled out a blunt and started to take his own big drags. Ajay and Jason looked at each other, then back at the two who had yet to see them.

"Yeah, yeah, you say that all the time, you bloke. Let's just hope this stuff doesn't explode on us this time around."

"Ahem!" Ajay cleared his throat, calling attention to them. Instantly the two brits stood up and got into, what seem to be, praying positions.

"Welcome, welcome to our spiritual guidance, come in. Don't be shy," Yogi spoke as he leads them both in.

"Listen-" Ajay started, but was cut off by Yogi praying in some other language rather loudly.

"Please, don't you two be shy. Here, we try and find spiritual guidance for all who need it."

"Smoke?" The other offered Jason.

"Oh, don't mind if I do," Jason happily took up on the offer.

"Dude," Ajay stare at Jason as he took the blunt and took a long drag. Once his lungs were full, Jason coughed harshly and offered it to Ajay. Ajay just sighed and took the blunt. Still coughing, Jason watched as Ajay took his own drag, neither of them paying attention to Reggie or Yogi. Ajay let out a loud wheezing cough.

"That's some good shit," Jason couldn't help but comment.

"Ow!" Ajay suddenly called out, putting attention back on him, Jason saw the syringe sticking out of Ajay's arm.

"He-OW!" Jason growled as Yogi stuck him in the arm.

"I don't..." Ajay suddenly collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Jason watched as the world started to turn into all of the colors at once.

"Uh-oh, I think I poked the American with our latest batch..." Jason heard Yogi explain, however his voice twisted and turned in Jason's head, in fact, Jason could see Yogi's voice leaving the brits mouth.

"Whoa... this shit is..." Jason looked at his hands, his colorful, growing, and shrinking hands.

"Still we have to bring him into Noore, grab him."

He had no idea who was talking, but, before he knew it Jason had punched whoever decided to grab him. He had to get out of here! Running outside, Jason found himself in the void. There was nothing but blackness surrounding him.

"Jason?"

Turning his head, Jason saw Liza strutting towards him. He blinked, and Liza turned into Citra, Cita smiled seductively as she got closer to him. "Citra... I'm so sorry..." Jason told her, he blinked, and now Ajay was in front of him.

"Sorry about what?" Ajay asked him softly.

"I... I don't know... I don't know... what the fuck is happening?" Jason asked himself as he looked at Ajay.

Ajay gently grabbed Jason's hands into his own and smiled gently at Jason. Jason felt his heart rate increase as he held onto Ajay's hands. "It'll be alright, Jason." Ajay softly told him.

"Will it?"

"You have me. Don't you?"

Jason watched as Ajay got closer to him. "I do, you are helping me with everything. I was a little hesitant about being a glorified babysitter to some spoiled rich prince, but you're proving this to be more than that, Ajay, I think you're like me, just wanting a bit more adventure," Jason spoke to Ajay as he held on tighter to Ajay's hands. "You're giving me a purpose, Ajay." Jason finished softly.

"Is that true?"

"Of course it is... of course it is..."

Ajay smiled and leaned down a bit so their faces were only mere inches apart. "Then prove it," Ajay ordered.

A few seconds of silence was all that happened as Jason felt his breath get caught in his throat. Finally, Jason shut his eyes and leaned in. Kissing Ajay Ghale.

Reopening his eyes, Jason let out a full blow shriek as he was now face to face with a skeleton, falling back, Jason spat out harshly.

"What the fuck!? How the fuck?! When the fuck!?" Jason looked around frantically as he realized he was now in a cave. Getting up, he looked at the skeleton he currently just locked lips with. The skeleton was currently dangling over a boulder, Jason let out a low groan.

"I... urg..." Jason rubbed his brow, and just left the cave. Looking around, Jason's brow furrowed, where the hell was he? Looking around, Jason felt his jaw drop once he realized something more horrifying. The cave he had exited out of was up in the air attached to a cliff. The only way for him to get down because Ajay had the grappling hook, was to slide down.

"FUCK!"


	6. Well deserved rest

Jason let out a hitched breath before slowly sliding down the cliff as cautiously as he could muster. "Fucking... British twat stoners!... when I get my hands on them..." Jason grunted as he suddenly grabbed a branch to stop himself from falling to his death. Letting out a loud yell Jason felt his feet give way as he only wanted to get a good footing on the damn cliff, but the surface was so smooth he couldn't do it. Realizing that there was no way out of it Jason looked down to see how far his drop was going to be. It was still way too far for him to just carelessly drop, however, upon seeing another branch sticking out he sighed softly. "Let's make this count, Jason... On three..." Breathing heavily, he instantly started to breathe out harshly and knew he had one shot at this.

 

"One... two..." Jason shut his eyes tight and prepped himself up for this. "Three!" Opening his eyes again he dropped down from his branch and quickly grabbed onto the other one just below him. It hit his ribs as he reached out, but nonetheless, he had it. Looking at the ground below, he was still too high to drop without causing some serious damage to his body. Breathing out heavily again Jason managed to get some footing on the cliff before jumping to a rock strutting out just far enough for him to stand on. Standing up more fully Jason looked at his next options. "Okay... I think I can... do this?" Breathing out heavily Jason tilted his body a bit, and placed one foot down on the smooth side of the cliff before letting his other foot down. He quickly slid down the rest of the cliff and made it down to safety. Stumbling near the bottom he quickly dusted himself off and stood up straight. "Fuckers are so gonna get it."

 

Jason then started to walk. He was without weapons they even took his Kukri and radio. That was a problem that was going to be resolved quickly. Seeing a blue and yellow truck coming down the road Jason knew just what to do. Grabbing a rock he hid in the bushes aiming the rock just right. The rebels didn't seem him hiding as they were coming at a fast pace. Holding his breath he watched as the truck was just at him then threw the rock, successfully breaking the passenger window making the rebels go to a screeching halt. Jason watched carefully as the two male rebels came out of the truck guns at the ready. Typical AK's but one rebel had a Kukri and a radio, something Jason desperately wanted. Jason had to be stealthy about how he was going to do this he waited till the rebel close enough to him had his back turned. Once it was turned Jason took his chance.

 

Jason rushed forward and grabbed the rebel from behind making sure to use the rebel as a shield as he grabbed the AK. With his arm around the rebel's neck, he pointed the AK at the opposing Rebel and fired before the guy could. Two shots to the shoulders, it didn't kill the man but it did stun him long enough for Jason to turn the Rebel in his grasp around and head-butt him. That rebel fell to the ground allowing Jason to take the gun with ease and fire two shots into that rebel's head. One shot went right by his ear, this made Jason turn and fire multiple shots, with no remorse, into the remaining rebel.  With Both rebels dead and out of the way Jason collected as much ammo as he could from the duo, the Kakuri, and the radio as well. Getting into the truck, Jason was off. While driving back towards Mohan's old home he grabbed the radio and started to talk.  "Yo, Ajay! This is Jason everything alright on your end?"

 

Jason was only met with silence on the other side. Thinking he might be on the wrong station he started to flicker with the stations all while trying to focus on the road. "Ajay! This is Jason! Do you copy!" He yelled at the radio this time around. Still, nothing, with a sigh leaving his nose Jason flickered through the stations one more time. "Ajay! Do you copy!?"

 

"... I shouldn't be answering this, but, the prince is in trouble. He's currently been captured and placed in Noore's arena." A voice quickly and quietly told Jason in a hurried matter.

 

"Who's Noore? What arena?" Jason inquired as he continued to drive.

 

"The battle arena lets just say a lot of people go in... very few make it out..."

 

"Where is it?"

 

"In Shanath, if you are to help the prince be quick."

 

"Thank you, for helping me."

 

"I'm not helping you, or the prince for that matter, I'm scared of what Pagan will do if his son dies."

 

That was the end of it as the line went dead. Jason clipped the radio back on his hip and speed the truck up. The British punks will have to wait it seems.

 

* * *

 

Ajay could hardly think as he was being dragged along the ground. He didn't know what the think as he could hardly even keep his eyes open. Blacking in and out Ajay looked at the people dragging him. Two women and neither of them were wearing tops. That woke him up, not because the women were topless but because he recognized just who these women were. "Oh.. No..." He couldn't help but stammer as the slow realization hit him. The distant roaring the crowds, the sound of guns being shot off, yelling and screaming. He was going towards the arena.

 

When Ajay was younger Pagan would take him to see the bloodbath, according to Pagan, Ajay would just love it. That was before the golden path became too dangerous and before Noore worked there. Now he wasn't loving it, especially since he then realize he was naked. Nothing, no clothes, they didn't even let him keep his underwear. The doors burst open and he was thrown down face down in the dirt.

 

He could see Noore standing there looking at him like he was nothing but a stain. "People of Kyrat I give you, Prince Ajay Ghale!" She declared loudly. "The spoiled prince that has cost hundreds of people their families and loved ones! The same prince that rejected the golden path and stuck to Pagan Min! The prince that sleeps well at night knowing that Kyrat is suffering from this war!"

 

"Noore! That is enough!" Ajay finally got a hold of his senses as he stood up. "Have you forgotten who you work for?!"

 

"Who I work for!? Tell me, Prince Ajay... where is my family?" Noore asked him with a tilt of her head. Her eyes remained emotionless as she looked at Ajay, daring him to answer that question.

 

_"Paul?" Ajay asked the man as he came out of his little torture chamber. His hands and torso were covered in blood, not his own Ajay could tell._

 

_"Oh, hey, Buddy. What's going on?" Paul responded as he started to wipe the blood off of his hands with a rag._

 

_"What's going on? I guess dad got some sort of doctor to work for him at the arena?"_

 

_"Ah yes, Noore, lovely woman from what I was told."_

 

_"How'd he do that?"_

 

_"Oh, well you know your father, Ajay, he does what he does best in this kind of situation."_

 

_"Kidnapped the family?"_

 

_"Yep! Now between you and me, that woman isn't getting her family back anytime soon, Buddy, don't let her know that though."_

 

"I ask again! Where is my family, Prince Ajay!?" She demanded louder as the crowds roared, most booed at Ajay, some, fear of reputation perhaps, stayed quiet.

 

"... I don't know..." Ajay lied through gritted teeth.

 

"Liar!... I see if this is how it will then bring out the rebels!" She declared. A loud siren went off and Ajay, having no time to think of modesty, rushed for cover. Keeping himself hidden from the ten rebel soldiers that stormed the battleground each and every one of them had guns. Ajay had nothing at the moment, not even clothes. Looking around he saw his only option ten feet away from him. A kukri embedded in a dead body. Ajay was quick to snatch it up and stay hidden as the rebels searched for him. Holding his breath Ajay looked around carefully. He looked at the two soldiers nearest to him and silently slipped out of his hiding spot. Bringing his Kakuri up he carefully treaded across the ground. He was within arms reach of the soldier when he grabbed the man and stealthily put his Kakuri in the man's neck. He only let out a wet gurgle cry before dying right there. Grabbing the gun the man had on him, a shotgun, Ajay slung it around his shoulders and moved forward. Pumping the shotgun he gunned down the other soldier looking around for him. The man fell limply and Ajay grabbed some ammo along with a hand grenade. Pumping the gun once again, Ajay hid behind a barrel and looked around the corner.

 

"Just tell me where my family is, Ajay and this can all end..." Noore practically seethed with rage up top her little podium as she glared down at him. "Surely you don't want to be here, prince, you want to be at home with your stepfather, Pagan."

 

Ajay looked at her before pursing his lips into a thin line and pulling the pin out of the grenade. He let it cook for just a couple of seconds in his hands before tossing it over to two unsuspecting soldiers. "Grena-" The poor man never even finished his sentence before the explosion went off. It made Ajay's hearing muffled for a few seconds before it eventually came back. Ajay heard a shout to his left and realized he caught. Bringing his shotgun to his hip he fired twice blowing the rebel to bits. The crowd shouted and cheered for the onslaught of bloodshed. "Ajay Ghale!" A rebel screamed as he ran forward with a Molotov in his hands.

 

"Oh, shi-" Ajay wasn't fast enough this time as the rebel tossed the Molotov and hit the floor by Ajay's bare feet. Ajay jumped in pain as the fire started burning his feet, putting the fire out quickly he fell on his back. Ajay grabbed the kukri off of the floor and quickly blocked the soldier as he was trying to stab at Ajay with his own Kakuri. The two kurkis hit each other causing a small bout of sparks to fly. Ajay grabbed the soldier's hair with his free hair and yanked his head back causing the man to cry out loudly. Exposing the soldier's neck Ajay snarled and stabbed the soldier through the neck. Warm blood sprayed and oozed on to Ajay's face. The soldier slumped on top of Ajay. Ajay groaned and pushed the man off of him before taking his Kukri out of the guy's neck. Ajay groaned slightly as he looked at his feet he could see bright red burns and blisters forming. Five soldiers down, five more to go.

 

* * *

 

Jason grunted as he climbed up into the back of the arena, he could hear the crowd cheer loudly at the onslaught before them. Jason had his AK at the ready as he listened for any guards, turning a corner with his gun pointed straight ahead he narrowed his eyes at two guards. They were dressed in red showing that they were indeed Pagan's men and watching the fight from down below with much interest. Instantly Jason straightened up cautiously.  "What is going on here?" He asked them both with a bark in his voice as he walked closer. Both of the pulled their guns out but didn't fire right away. "Calm your tits, I'm Prince Ajay's bodyguard!" He introduced himself as politely as he could muster.

 

"Well, you're a shit bodyguard then," the first one spoke with a bit of a smirk on his face as he thrust his thumb towards the arena down below. Jason push past the guards and looked down at the fight. Though the people fighting were small he made out Ajay almost instantly.

 

Butt naked Ajay covered in blood as he ran around trying to kill the other people in the arena. Jason backed away from the fight below, for the time being, he then sucked in a deep breath through his nose, looked at the two Kyraki soldiers before him, and with no hesitation shot them both in the head. "Consider that a favor. I have a feeling Pagan wouldn't have been so kind," The first thing that interested him was a sniper rifle that one had. He was going to need that, picking it up he put the AK to the side, for now, steadied himself. Looking through the scope he got a better vision of what he needed to do, however; oddly enough by the time he was ready to shoot... Ajay... had already won the battle.

 

"So, Ajay Ghale is victorious, yes, but let's see how he does against bears then, hm?" The announcer, a woman, spoke to the crowd. On her cue, about three bears came rushing out barreling towards Ajay.

 

"Shit!" Jason cursed as he watched the bears through the scope of the sniper rifle. They were going too fast for him to get a steady shot. Ajay had no clothes, probably very little ammo, and nothing to help him heal (maybe). Jason was going to have to think extremely quick on how to beat this one. Three bears, two brown, one black. Ajay was keeping hidden behind a barrel, but the bears were clearly on the lookout as they rushed around the arena. Ajay only had seconds, just mere seconds as the black bear rounded closer and closer to him. Jason watched as the bear seemed to slow down as it was homing in on Ajay's scent. Jason couldn't miss this shot, steadying the gun, he held his breath to make it as steady as possible. Ajay rose to his feet his own gun at the ready as the bear got closer, Jason waited for the bear to get into the crosshairs just one more step, and...

 

They both fired at the same time. Jason got the bear in the eye while Ajay blew it's brains to smithereens. However; Jason's help did not go unnoticed.

 

"Who fired that shot?!" The woman's voice roared over one of the dead guard's radio. "You are  _not_  to help prince Ajay! Find whoever did that and put them down!"

 

Jason tore his eyes away from the fight he heard rushing footsteps clamoring towards him, instinctively he raised his gun in defensive as a grand total of three Kyraki soldiers came into the room. "Not a step! How dare you betray your king and your future king like this!" Jason snarled at the men they all seemed to hesitate just a little. "Do you think Pagan will allow this? If Ajay dies, guess who's following? The soldiers that failed to protect him, that's who!" Jason snapped at them as he kept his sniper rifle at his hip in defense.

 

One soldier opened his mouth, either to argue or agree with Jason, but he never got a word out as three loud gunshots rang out. Each man fell to the ground dead as Pagan himself walked over to Jason. "I'm helping!" Jason quickly defended himself. "I know it's my fault but I'm trying to fix it, Pagan I swear!"

 

"Jason..." Pagan's voice was dangerously calm as he made sure to stare the American down. "...If my son doesn't come out of this alive... I can't even describe the things I will do to you... help my son. I'll deal with Noore..."

 

Jason didn't even wait for Pagan to leave as he turned around and lined his shot up with the bears once again. While Jason was busy it seemed Ajay somehow took down one of the brown bears. So, that left only one bear left to deal with them. Jason got ready to line up a shot and kill the bear quickly, but something stopped him. It was Ajay himself, the Prince was no fool it seemed like he was now gesturing towards Jason wanting his attention. Jason gave his attention to Ajay, Ajay was mouthing something slowly so Jason could understand what he was trying to say.

 

_NO._

 

He didn't want Jason's help?! Was he crazy?! For a moment Jason thought about ignoring Ajay and shooting the bear anyway, but then his mind went back to the first real day he was in Kyrat, the day that started it all really. Ajay likes to hunt, Ajay took out several clouded leopards without much of a hitch. What's a bear to him? Swallowing hard, Jason was about to do the stupidest thing he's ever done, he put the gun down and watched.  _'Don't die on me...'_  He thought to himself.

 

* * *

 

Ajay wasn't hiding anymore, he was naked, covered in blood, had scratches and gashes all up and down his body, and he just wanted this to be over. Circling the bear, Ajay watched as the animal snorted and let out a loud growl at him telling him to back down or to be food.  Prince Ajay Ghale, stepson of Pagan Min was taught one important thing, never back down. He had one syringe, one grenade, a Kakuri, and no guns. The bear roared at Ajay again threatening him. Ajay took in a deep breath as he watched the mighty beast. Finally, it was the bear that stopped circling and just charged. Ajay ran forward with a war cry and slashed at the bear's muzzle first before going for the eyes in an attempt to blind it. The bear didn't take to that too kindly and with one mighty swing of its paw sent Ajay flying back into a wall. For a moment all Ajay could see were stars dancing his vision.

 

"-This ends now, Noore!" He heard a voice rage over the microphone. Still, in a slight daze, Ajay watched as Pagan and Noore struggled with one another. Noore demanding to know where her family was, and Pagan trying to take the microphone away from her, probably to signal the end of the fight. This wasn't how Ajay wanted it to end. Getting back to his feet he looked at the bear again. The bear charged first and Ajay jumped to the side before rushing at the bear while it was still confused. Ajay raised the Kakuri and shoved it into the bear's neck before taking it out just as quickly. The bear roared in pain as it bled out from it's wound, but it didn't die, instead, it just turned and slashed at Ajay's exposed torso. Ajay knew he looked bad, hell, Ajay felt horrid as he was losing a lot of blood. He wanted nothing more than to use his last syringe it wouldn't heal him all the way, but it would help him greatly, but he couldn't the bear was coming in for another attack.

 

Ajay dodged out of the way before the bear could attack him again. Ajay knew one thing it was now or never time, one of them was going to die, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be Ajay. Jumping on top of a barrel Ajay looked at the Kakuri then the grenade his only two weapons left. If the bear would hold still long enough for him to toss the grenade he would have done it already. Ajay tossed his Kukri in the air before hatching a plan in his head.

 

\-----

 

Jason didn't know just who to watch, Pagan fighting with Noore over the microphone, or naked Ajay Ghale trying to take down a bear with nothing but a Kukri. All and all it was a site to be held still Jason couldn't help but keep his eyes glued to Ajay as the prince suddenly jumped from the barrel he was standing on, attracting the attention from the bear that was now circling him with watering jaws. Over the roaring crowds, Jason could hear bits and pieces of Noore and Pagan's argument.

 

"-tell me-!" Noore demanded.

 

"-Stop this I'll have you-!"

 

"-For the love of god!"

 

It just went on like that, for whatever reason Pagan seemed to be hesitant about shooting Noore in cold-blood. Jason could only wonder why. Hearing the bear roar turned his attention back to Ajay. Ajay was stabbing at a dead bear on the ground. Jason watched as Ajay took a good chunk of bloody raw bear meat and just tossed it halfway across the arena. The bear took off running after the bait and started to eat. In one quick movement, Jason watched as Ajay tossed a grenade over to the animal. It was a bear so of course, he wasn't going to take off running like a human would...

 

However, Jason really didn't expect the bear to eat the grenade.

 

It happened in just seconds; the bear was no more as the grenade went off. Blood and guts hit the crowd causing gasps and stunned silence amongst everyone, except for Pagan's sudden outburst of-

 

"-They're dead, Noore!"

 

Now the tension in the whole arena was thickened. Ajay stood there trying to wipe the blood off of his body. He was covered head to toe in thick oozing blood. Jason knew most of it was Ajay's victims, but he could tell that Ajay was looking a little wobbly out there. Pagan seemed to realize what had just happened and brought the mic to his mouth.

 

"The winner of the arena ladies and-"

 

Jason acted fast as Noore suddenly pushed Pagan down and shouted as loud as she could, "Kill my family, Pagan?! Release the Sky Tiger!" and Jason pitied the poor fool that actually let the tiger out. The tiger was black and white, it almost reminded Jason of Rook Island; having to hunt the tigers for the people or new equipment. Still, Jason decided enough was enough as that tiger was coming straight for Ajay. He needed to get to the arena, now! Looking up he saw a thick metal rope, like ones that hold the radio towers up, leading down to the arena. Jason scrunched his nose up before using his sniper rifle to hold himself up to the rope. Jason gave the wall a good kick allowing himself to zip line down. The tiger had grabbed Ajay's arm by that point and was ready to tear into the prince who was hardly able to focus on anything. Ajay swiped at the tiger, but it did very little to the blood-hungry beast. Jason gave a battle cry as he got close enough he let go of the zip line, rolling on the ground past the dead bodies of rebel soldiers and deceased bears, Jason sprang to his feet. Jason held the sniper rifle like a bat as he rushed at the tiger and gave it a good whack in the head with the butt of the gun. The tiger snarled at Jason before giving him a roar so loud that it'd turn a normal person's hair white.

 

Jason Brody wasn't a normal person. "Try me, you oversized house cat!" Jason spat before throwing the rifle down and pulling out his AK. The tiger seemed to be smarter than it seemed as it jumped to the side just as Jason shot. The beast still got hit, but not in the head so it was gunning at Jason more pissed than ever. Jason wasn't fast enough to avoid the beast as it jumped on him and roared in his face. Jason mentally cursed himself as his Kukri was out of his reach. That wasn't a problem for much longer as all Jason felt on his face was something wet and warm. Confused and a little dazed all Jason saw was the tiger's neck as Ajay pulled his own Kukri out from atop the tiger's neck, killing it instantly.

 

Jason pushed the heavy beast off of him as Ajay brought his hand out for Jason to take. Jason gratefully took Ajay's hand and the two were standing side by side now. "Thanks for the save..." Jason breathed out heavily as he forced himself to look at Ajay's bloody face and not more southbound.

 

"Thanks for distracting the legendary Sky Tiger..." Ajay muttered tiredly. For a moment Jason felt like everything was going to be okay. It really all felt okay anyway as he looked at the roaring crowd's everyone wanting more bloodshed. Jason watched as Ajay suddenly stuck himself in the arm with a syringe. Ajay let out a soft sigh in response as the drug pumped through his system.

 

"Feel better?"

 

"It wasn't enough-" Was the only thing Ajay managed to spit out before falling to the ground unconscious.

 

"Ajay!"

 

* * *

 

Ajay was looking at the sky. That's the first that registered in his mind as he was looking up, confused, at the cloudy Kyrat sky. Trying to blink the sleep away from his eyes Ajay moved back. Instantly he came to see that he was naked in a hot spring. Ajay still felt tired as his mind was trying to register just what was going on. He could see that he had healing scars on his arms and torso. Some thicker and longer than others.

 

"Healing Springs your fathers choice-"

 

"Bah!"  Ajay jumped a little at Jason's voice as his bodyguard came walking up beside him. Ajay quickly looked for something, anything, to cover himself up with, but came up empty-handed.

 

"Dude, I saw you fight three bears in an arena butt naked I really don't care if you're in a hot spring right now," Jason put it simply as he sat down with a low grunt next to Ajay. Ajay's mind started to come back, the arena, Noore-

 

"What happened to Noore?" Ajay questioned to Jason who just gave him a shrug.

 

"Dunno, your dad took her, kicking and screaming, to Paul. So, I can guess it won't be pretty."

 

"How long was I out for?"

 

Jason looked down at his watch for a few seconds before nodding a little. "A little close to five hours, if  I have to guess."

 

"Jesus..." Ajay groaned loudly as he leaned back against the wall of the hot spring. "Where are my clothes?" Ajay asked after a few moments of silence between the two.

 

"Right there," Jason pointed to the neatly folded pile of clothes sitting to the right of Ajay. "Pagan should be here shortly, with someone named Yuma- oh that must be his convoy?" Jason pointed to the large convoy just about hundred feet away from hot springs. Ajay let out a groan before getting out of the hot springs and quickly getting dressed before the convoy got there. "How are you feeling?" Jason asked him once he finished putting his jacket on. Ajay rolled his shoulders a little before giving a half-hearted shrug in return. Truthfully he felt sore all over as some of his wounds were still healing from the arena.

 

"Fine, I guess," He half-lied to Jason as he stretched his left arm out across his chest. He had no clue why he lied, maybe he didn't want Jason to worry about him too much. Hell, Jason was like an open book with his emotions, Ajay observed. Every little move Ajay made Jason was watching with the utmost intensity like he was afraid Ajay was going to fall apart right then and there. "Just still a little tired is all." Ajay finished the lie as he stretched his other arm across his chest.

 

"I can imagine, that was one hell of a battle you fought in the arena," Jason tried to chuckle nonchalantly as he looked back over at the convoy. He felt a sense of ease as the convoy was starting to grow closer. The two of them now standing Ajay stood beside Jason as the convoy came to a halt by the hot springs. Out came Pagan with his army in tow.

 

"Ajay! Darling!" Pagan's earlier (scary as fuck) intensity was now melted away as he ran and hugged Ajay as hard as he could. "I was so worried about you!" Pagan squeezed Ajay tightly before letting him go. "But no matter, now that this is behind us, we can all go home and have a well-deserved rest!" Pagan breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Nobody argued, truthfully Jason thought sleep sounded wonderful it's been a hectic past couple of days, and he hasn't slept since he arrived. The two of them were shuffled into a heavily protected truck. Ajay went in first. "Yuma." He greeted with a grin.

 

"Ajay." Yuma lifelessly greeted back as she seemed to have more interest in her nails. Jason was shoved in next and sat beside Ajay. "Ah, the fuck-up, from what I hear." Yuma actually grinned at Jason. The guilt Jason felt was honestly enormous and she made it ten times worse. Pagan was the last to come in and sit beside Yuma. The door shut behind him and off the truck went. There was a heavy silence between everyone in the truck as nobody knew just what to say. Until Jason saw Pagan take out a familiar pen.

 

"I'm sorry, please!... don't stab me!" Jason quickly managed to choke out as he feared for his life for a split second. Ajay actually jumped. If it was because of Jason's outburst or not, Jason never knew.

 

"Although I would like nothing more than to punish you for your mess up I'm afraid I'm going to need you for a little while longer, Mr. Brody," Pagan coolly responded as he moved the pen from his back pocket to his shirt pocket. That alone made Jason sigh with relief. Jason didn't know how to respond when Ajay, to comfort him, gave him a simple pat on the arm. "Despite your negligence putting Ajay in the arena in the first place, you still seem to be the best person for the job. I don't give second chances often, Mr. Brody, the next time you mess up, it will be your last, am I clear?"

 

"Yes, sir..." Jason breathed out heavily. Pagan crossed one of his legs over the other. The truck rocked a little from the dirt road causing Jason to his head on the window often. Jason didn't even realize he had started to doze off until his head bounced against the window twice causing him to jolt awake. It was apparent that he wasn't the only one struggling to stay awake as Ajay was sound asleep. His head lolled to the side of the truck, mouth open, quick low breaths escaping his mouth as he slept peacefully. Looking over at Pagan and Yuma, Yuma was bored staring out the window with her head slumped against her fist. As if she was saying 'why was I needed for this?' with her expression alone. Pagan was staring intensely at Ajay almost like he was afraid his son was just going to vanish before his very eyes. Jason couldn't fight his own drowsiness anymore as his eyes shut for the second time without his command.  _'Five minutes won't harm anyone.'_  he thought to himself as he felt safe enough to fall asleep in the truck right there. 


	7. The welcoming party

At first being in the palace was welcoming for both Ajay and Jason, but over time Pagan made it clear that they weren't to be leaving for a long time. If they'd try they were both promptly stopped by foot soldiers. That made things between the duo a little less than pleasant, and it was all Jason's fault. When helping Ajay in the arena he didn't have the time to think of his feelings towards the prince, but as soon as the two of them were forced to stay in the palace Jason could think of nothing else as it was his job to stay near Ajay at all time. Jason has been trying to distract himself by finding something to do, but it only worked for so long. Constantly he was thinking of Ajay. How much of a sharpshooter Ajay was, how cunning and fast he was, and of course how damn  _hot_  Ajay was. All of his forcing its way into Jason's mind and invading his every thought, and then, of course, he remember his hallucination. Yeah, there was no denying it: Jason was downright attracted to Ajay Ghale. This wasn't like with Liza or Citra, no, to Jason it felt like it was something  _more_ , but there was nothing he could do about it. Like Pagan, that crazy psycho, wouldn't approve if the two got together or if Ajay even felt the same way about Jason.

"Are you just going to stand out here all day?" Came the snarky voice of Bhadra. The young girl came out on to the balcony to join Jason. Thanks to Ajay, a couple of days back, Pagan allowed Bhadra to be trained in combat with the other soldiers. Though it was clear that Bhadra was not comfortable with fighting alongside the royal army as she was raised to be Golden path, she still seemed excited to learn better combat than what Sabal was giving her. Which was nothing.

"How's training?" Jason questioned her as he leaned against the railing of the balcony.

"It's fine, Paul says I have what it takes to be a Hunter in the future, the commander thinks I'll be better as a foot soldier."

"What do you think?"

"... I don't know..." She responded softly as she looked down at the world below them. Jason watched her for a moment before sighing out as well. Jason then gave an apathetic shrug then reached into his back pocket to pull out a pack of Kyrati Royals. The package was funny to him as it just showed a picture of Pagan with no normal warning labels on the package at all. Jason looked down inside the package four little cigarettes remained in the package. Well, now three remained. Jason wasted no time to light up his cigarette.

"Should you really be smoking?" Came Ajay's voice. Jason almost wanted to run away but he just couldn't bring his legs to move at all. Ajay came out on to the balcony and gently patted Bhadra's head. "It's not good for your health."

"Eh, I stopped caring about my health a long while back," Jason shrugged with a smile on his lips. Jason then made sure to take a nice long drag of the cigarette to prove his point to Ajay. Ajay only chuckled back in response to Jason. Jason felt his heart skip a beat, not from the smoke, but from hearing Ajay laugh a little. Add that to the list of things Jason was finding Ajay attractive for. Ajay leaned against the railing of the balcony and looked out at Kyrat. Bhadra gave a sudden sigh.

"Well, I have to go back to training now I'll talk to you guys later," With that she quickly took off, leaving Ajay and Jason alone. Jason stood there thinking of an excuse to leave Ajay, but his mind was drawing blanks. Jason brought his cigarette up to his lips again, took a drag, before stomping the rest out.

"Well-" Jason started but Ajay suddenly cut him off.

"I want to wipe out the Golden Path."

Jason blinked in surprise before leaning against the railing of the balcony like Ajay was. "I mean, I think we all do-"

"They're weak one good push would get rid of them for good, but dad won't listen to reason not after what happened," Ajay ran his fingers through his thick black hair as another sigh escaped his mouth.

"Well..." Jason paused for a moment. What could he tell Ajay? Jason felt conflicted: on one hand a part of him wanted to tell Ajay to just sneak out if he wanted to get rid of the Golden Path, hell, Jason wouldn't mind shooting a few of those pricks himself. But then the other part of him realized that if they snuck out then Pagan would most likely kill Jason the moment they got caught. "... I'm not sure..." He admitted rubbing the back of his head. Ajay didn't respond to Jason right away, instead, he just looked out at Kyrat with a small smile on his face. Jason swallowed an uneasy lump in his throat as he took a daring move and moved a little closer to Ajay.

"So, where did your father go this morning?" Jason changed the subject in an attempt to get rid of the awkward air surrounding them.

"He mentioned something about needing to go to the prison. Some American CIA agent got caught trying to take down Yuma's men in the mountains," Ajay explained softly as he finally moved from his spot on the railing. Jason watched Ajay move into the sunlight. It gave Ajay an angelic glow that made Jason's heart flutter in his chest as he watched as Ajay moved back inside, the glow almost following him the whole way. Jason turned his head away and looked at the mountains off in the distance. The sun was just getting ready to set behind the mountains. "Hey." Ajay suddenly spoke causing Jason to turn around and look at him. Ajay had his back against the door and his arms crossed over his chest as it seemed he was thinking about what he wanted to say next. Finally, after a few moments of silence, Ajay just shrugged. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"A movie?"

"Yeah. I mean, we're stuck here under dad's orders. Might as well make the best of it." Ajay gave another shrug in response.

"Oh... uh... okay..." Jason smiled a little at the idea of watching a movie with Ajay, maybe it might calm Jason's feelings down.

"Cool, follow me."

Doing as he was told Jason followed Ajay. Soon, Ajay and Jason were both in Ajay's room. Jason felt almost awestruck at Ajay's room. It was nice, of course, it was nice he was a prince. The bed had the finest silk blanket that money could buy. Jason grew up in the lap of luxury as well, but nothing like Ajay. Jason knew that almost everything in Ajay's room must have cost someone an arm and leg. "Let's see..." Ajay grunted as he squatted down to look at his movie collection under the TV stand. "Any preferences?" Ajay questioned towards Jason.

"...Mindless action?" Jason shrugged and Ajay chuckled in response.

"Of course... how about  _Avengers_?" Ajay suggested as he grabbed the movie.

"Sure."

Jason stood there as Ajay put the movie into the DVD player before plopping down on to his bed. Ajay noticed that Jason was still standing there and promptly padded his hand against the empty spot on the bed. "Don't be a stranger I don't mind if we share a bed." Ajay calmly told Jason. Jason, on the other hand, was having a mini-heart attack. His heart was absolutely racing, his hands were shaking, and he was trying to keep calm about the whole thing.

 _'You fought pirates, you can sit next to Ajay!'_  He thought to himself as he slowly sat down on the empty spot. Ajay got comfy before pressing play on the remote. The movie started up, and Jason honestly wasn't really all that into it as his eyes often drifted to Ajay. Ajay never noticed this as he was just watching the movie as normal. About half-way through the movie, Jason's eyes drifted over to Ajay once again and this time the prince was fast asleep. Jason watched him more than he was watching the movie at this point. He watched as Ajay's breathing was slow and rhythmic as he looked at peace. Over time, Jason felt his own eyes droop down as he was also starting to get tired. He honestly wasn't aware he fell asleep with his face right next to Ajay's.

It wasn't until Ajay shook him awake did he even realize he fell asleep.

"Wha-?" Jason jumped up and quickly wiped his mouth for any drool. The TV had been turned off and Ajay was now standing over Jason.

"Did you invite people to Kyrat?" Ajay questioned sharply.

"What? No!" Jason shook his head. "Where'd you get that assumption?"

Ajay took a radio out of his pocket and turned the volume up for Jason to hear the broadcast.

"I repeat! My name is Riley Brody, I request clearance to land at the airport! I am running low on fuel and I have a passenger with me!"

"... Oh, fuck..." Jason jumped from the bed quickly.

"If you didn't invite them I will give them permission to shoot the plan-"

"No!" Jason yelled quickly before running his fingers through his hair in a frantic matter. "I didn't invite them! trust me, but that is my brother! Don't shoot down the plane!"

Ajay gave a tsk before bringing the radio up to his mouth. "This is Ajay Ghale. Let the plane land, but detain the passengers for the time being."

"Roger, your majesty!" Another voice spoke on the other side. Ajay rolled his eyes at the 'your majesty' part.

"You! We're going to the airport!" Ajay demanded to Jason who nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, no doubt! But, uh, how? Your dad won't let us leave! if we try the guards stop us!"

"My dad's not here, plus this involves us now, more importantly... your brother just gave us a reason to leave. C'mon, gear up." Ajay actually seemed happy at this notion. That was enough to make Jason happy, but also fearful. If something happens to Ajay, Jason knew he was going to face Pagan's wrath.

After that the two of them took a couple of standard AK-7's, Kukri's, and health syringes, they were ready to go. Jason felt worried as they made it to the palace door where two soldiers were standing guard. The two guards chuckled once Ajay approached. "Sorry, but strict orders from Pagan min, you are not allowed to leave the palace."

"Yes, I'm aware. Listen, we have visitors at the airport and we need to get to them." Ajay put it plainly to the guards.

"I'm sorry, you cannot leave."

"It's my brother," Jason spoke more smoothly. "I don't know why he's here, but we need to find out before he gets hurt. We don't want to risk a transport in case the Golden Path takes them as hostages." It wasn't too much of a lie. There was a high risk of the Golden Path taking Riley as a hostage and Jason didn't want his brother to go through that again. The two guards looked at each other before back at the duo.

"Look, if we let you out Pagan will kill us, your highness." One guard spoke with a bit of a whimper in his voice.

"I'll vouch for you so that doesn't happen, you have my word, soldier."

"Just... don't get hurt..." The soldiers stepped to the side allowing the duo to leave the palace. It was literally a breath of fresh air as a relief fell over Jason. It may have been night time now, but he didn't care. Even Ajay seemed a little more relaxed as he looked at Jason.

"I'm driving." Ajay tapped Jason's shoulder as he ran to the first truck in his line of site. It was truck with a turret gun on the back. Jason didn't care, he didn't really feel like driving as his mind was actually starting to spin a little. Getting in the passenger seat next to Ajay, Jason looked out the window as he so many questions. ' _How did Riley find out where I am? Who's the passenger? is it Liza? Oh, god if it's Liza... she might not take well to Ajay... They can't be here!'_

"Listen..." Jason found his voice as he looked over to Ajay. Ajay took his eyes off of the road to look at Jason for a few seconds. "I don't  _want_  them here. I might talk to them for a few minutes, but after that I want them gone. Have the people fill the plane and get them out of here by any means necessary."

"I agree-"

"You agree?"

"We don't have time for tourist, Jason, we are in the middle of a civil war. They don't need to be here. So, tell them what you need to, and get them off this island before the Golden path know they're here. It's for the best."

"...Thank you."

"No problem, you're my friend... There's just one problem..."

Jason couldn't stop the sigh from leaving his mouth. "There always is. What is it?"

"The airport is in the south which-"

"-means the Golden Path are more of a threat." Jason finished Ajay sentence slowly. "... fuck..."

"Hey, don't worry. The Golden Path haven't gotten their hands on it yet, and besides, it's closer to the north anyway."

Then there was silence between the two of them as Jason felt the wind flow through his hair as the truck went high speed down the road. "So... I take it you just up and left? and that's why your brother felt the need to come all the way here?"

"Heh, that predictable?" Jason questioned back as he rested his head on his arm.

"You strike me as the type that would do that... just leave." Ajay responded, before quickly adding, "Not that that's a bad thing. I mean I'm sure they would have tried to stop you if they would have known you were going right into a civil war."

"Again."

"Yes, again."

The two of them chuckled a little before the silence followed again. Jason took to tapping his fingers against the dashboard of the car before grabbing the radio out of his pocket. "I wonder if Hurk is up. Maybe he could keep them safe while we're driving, seems like it's gonna be a bit of a drive."

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

"Hurk, are you there?" Jason spoke to the radio. There were a few seconds of crackling silence from the station before Hurk actually responded.

"-Get out of here! Oh, hiya, Jason! What's going on?"

"How close are you to the Kyrat airport?"

Another few seconds of crackling silence before Hurk responded. "Uh, if my map is correct... I should maybe three, four miles away from it? Why?"

"Listen, we're going to give you clearance to enter the airport. My brother is there with one of my friends. I want you to keep an eye on them, it's gonna be a while before we get there."

"Oh, okay! You can count on me, Jason!"

With that, the two lines went dead, and quick as a whip Ajay had his own radio in his hand already radioing to the airport. "This Ajay Ghale here. There's going to be a man, Caucasian, goes by the name of 'Hurk', I am allowing him clearance to the airport."

"Rodger, your majesty! We'll keep a lookout!"

Both of them put their radios away before watching the road. For a good while, Jason wondered if Ajay was going to talk at all for the rest of the ride as he was being awfully quiet, but after about ten minutes of pure silence between the two of them, Ajay finally spoke. "Say... they won't leave with you. What would you do?"

"What?" That question came out of left field.

"They refuse to leave without you... would you go with them?"

"Psh. No. I don't want to go back... do you want me to?"

"What? No! God no..."

More uncomfortable silence followed. Jason silently tapped his fingers against his leather boot unable to think of anything in response to Ajay. So, for the rest of the ride to the airport was pure silence. The guards let them in with little to no problems and pointed them to where they detained Riley. Hurk was already waiting outside.

"Hiya, buddy!" Hurk ran and hugged Jason in a bone-crushing hug. He even managed to lift Jason up a few centimeters off of the ground. Jason gagged at Hurk's smell. Jason didn't even want to describe it. Hurk set Jason down and immediately went to hug Ajay. Before Hurk could wrap his arms around Ajay, several guns were pointed at him. All from nearby soldiers. Hurk backed down in a millisecond.

"Stand down, men!" Ajay ordered. Hesitantly the guns were lowered. "Hi, Hurk. Good to see you again." Ajay offered a simple handshake to Hurk, who accepted that.

"Uh, yeah, your brother is in there, with some chick, neither are happy about the situation," Hurk explained to Jason.

"Yeah, well, I'm not too happy about this either, trust me... and it sounds like he did bring Liza..." Jason muttered the last part out loud.

"Who's Liza?" Ajay questioned as Jason grabbed the door handle.

"My ex." Was all Jason said as he opened the door and slipped on it.

"You!" With literally no warning he was violently slapped across the cheek by an angry Liza Snow. "What is the meaning of this? All of this!"

"Liza, calm down..." Riley came over and pulled Liza away from Jason as gently as possible. Jason groaned as he rubbed his stinging cheek before looking at the two of them. They both looked rather flustered, Liza's brown hair was incredibly messy as it looked like she's been frantically running her fingers through it. Riley's clothes were disheveled and his hands even seemed to be shaking. "It'll be alright..." Riley reassured her. Of course, they were both nervous, they were given permission to land and then basically got kidnapped again, maybe detaining them wasn't such a smart move.

"What are you guys doing here? How did you even know I was here?"

"How?" Riley gave a bit of a scoff. "You were always terrible with computers, Jason..." Riley avoided Jason's gaze as he started to stare at the ceiling of the small building they were in.

"Jason..." Liza grabbed him by his shoulders before suddenly hugging him. "Come home. Please, this lifestyle it's not healthy. I don't want to hear that you got shot... please..." She practically begged as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. "Stop trying to recreate Rook Island."

"Jason... come home. Mom's asking about you. She's getting better... come home, she doesn't want to lose another son." Riley whispered softly to him.

"Liza... I understand your concerns... yours as well, Riley-" Jason sighed and proceeded to push Liza off of him, not hard enough for her to fall down, but just enough so she'd let go. "But I'm staying. I'm sorry, this is the perfect job for me."

"Huh," Liza huffed bitterly. "What is it that you _do_  here, Jason?" She asked in an irate manner.

"I'm a bodyguard."

"A bodyguard?"

"Yeah, for the Prince."

"This little island has a monarchy?" Riley piped up in his confusion.

"Yes, you don't want to piss the king off, he might shove a pen in your eye..."

"Then why are you here?!" Liza stomped her foot at him. "Remember the last crazy guy that would kill you for looking at him wrong! Jason! Stop recreating Rook Island!" She practically screamed the last part of him before running her fingers through her hair and actually pulling on it. "God! Just come home-"

The door opened and Jason welcomed it as it quieted Liza down. Jason looked over his shoulder to see Ajay. Instantly, Jason noted the worried look on Ajay's face. In Ajay's hand was his cell 's heart practically skipped a beat at the look on Ajay's face. "Ajay, what's wrong?"

"The palace was attacked... Jason... Sabal took Bhadra..."


	8. A steady climb

Truthfully, Jason didn't want to bring Riley and Liza along for the ride back to the palace, but Liza was stubborn and wouldn't give up and they didn't have time to fight with her. So, against Ajay's and Jason's wishes, they gave the truck with the turret on the back to Hurk and some foot soldiers to scout ahead while Ajay, Jason, Liza, and Riley all piled into a jeep. Jason soon realized letting Ajay drive was not a good idea.

Jason gasped loudly and brought his hands out to stop his head from smashing into the dashboard of the jeep. "Ajay! Slow down!" Jason roared as Ajay drove recklessly. At least he wasn't in the backseat, he felt sorry for Riley and Liza. Those two were constantly bouncing their heads together with every bump they hit in the road. He could hear them groaning in pain every so often.

"Bhadra has been kidnapped, Jason! We need to go back and find a way to save her!" Ajay suddenly turned the jeep so sharply that Jason couldn't stop his head from ricocheting against the window. Jason let out his own groan of pain this time around as he rubbed his head and checked for blood.

"You two alive back there?" Jason asked Liza and Riley and turned in his seat to look at the two of them. Both of them were rubbing their heads just as he was. "Christ- _tree!"_ Jason had turned to the front just in time to see Ajay almost drive into a tree, thankfully Ajay managed to swerve just in time. Which (again) caused Jason to smash against the window.

"Ajay! Slow the fuck down!" Jason finally screamed at Ajay before actually nailing Ajay in the chest with the side of his fist. Ajay stomped on the breaks of the jeep, thank god Jason had his seatbelt on. Jason could only feel his heart race a million miles per hour as he put his hand on his chest uneasily. "I'm sorry... dude..." Jason apologized after a few calming deep breaths. "I just had to get you to stop! I know Bhadra means a lot to you, but you're no good to her if you kill yourself trying to get to her!" resting his head against the headrest in his chair, Jason sucked in another deep breath and then looked back at Liza and Riley to make sure they were still alive. They were, both were pale and shaky, but alive. Jason then finally looked at Ajay. Ajay was staring down at the steering wheel of the jeep, he seemed lost in thought as he just looked down.  _'Ajay...'_  Jason thought rather sadly once he noticed the mournful face Ajay actually had.

"Jason... if we don't get to Bhadra fast... I fear what Sabal plans to do with her..." Ajay finally spoke his voice was low and Jason could sense the uneasiness that lingered around all four of hem.

"I'm sorry... if I can speak... why is this... Bhadra? why is she so important right now?" Riley groaned in pain before moving forward so he was in between Ajay and Jason.

"Sabal wants to marry her..." Ajay uneasily answered. Jason felt the car start to move again and watched Ajay start to drive again. This time Ajay actually minded himself and drove at a much slower pace.

"O-kay?" Liza was the one to respond from her seat clearly confused. "You took the love of his life and you  _didn't_  expect him to get her back?"

Jason turned in his seat to face Liza, he looked her dead in the eyes when he spoke his next sentence. "She's fourteen. He's thirty. He thinks she's a goddess reborn and wishes to marry her for it. We took her to protect her from that." Jason knew his message came across hard as Liza's face suddenly paled greatly. Honestly, Jason just wanted to tell her more, in hopes that it would scare her into leaving, but he couldn't as something caught his eye in the rearview. "Oh, shit..." Jason felt heart race when he more than one golden path truck closing in on them. He didn't have time to count them all. Boy, he was grateful that this jeep came with a sunroof. "Ajay! Step on it!" Jason grabbed his AK and opened the sunroof. Jason felt the wind blow and push his hair back as he lined his AK up.

 _'One... two... three... shit...'_  Jason felt extremely uneasy once he realized he was looking down five Golden Path trucks, all making fast speeds towards their tiny jeep.  _'Now would be a great time to have a damn turret!'_  He gritted his teeth in slight anger. Still, Jason sucked down his anger and started to fire. He aimed for their windshields in hope of killing them quickly, he started with the truck that was closest to them, however when the windshield shattered showing who was driving Jason felt insanely uneasy. These people where all in heavy suits meaning in order for him to take down one he'd need about four magazines alone. So, Jason turned his AK to another truck and fired at the windshield to that one. Yep, heavy suits.  _'Five trucks, probably all wearing heavy suits... wait...'_

Jason quickly sat back down. "Okay... we have five trucks behind us, at least ten people in total all wearing heavy suits." Jason saw Ajay tense at that.

"Heavy suits?" Liza questioned.

"Armor. It takes strong guns to penetrate armor like that. Something an AK can't do." Ajay filled her in.

Jason looked back at the trucks and gritted his teeth once again. "Shit! They're going to box us in!" He growled and grabbed his AK.

"Jason!-" Ajay called to him.

"I can't shoot them! But I can shoot their fucking tires!" Jason yelled back and fired his gun at the truck's tires in hopes to slow them down or make them swerve off the road. That was when Ajay did something daring as well. He went off the road. At first, Jason wanted nothing more than to call Ajay stupid, but then it hit him. Less road more trees, but that also caused another big problem as the jeep bounced wildly about. Too much for him to get a clear shot at their tires now.

 _"Jason!_ " Hearing Ajay call to him frantically Jason moved to sit back down. He looked out the windshield to see what Ajay was seeing. More Golden path coming towards them from the front.

"Shit! Swerve!" Jason was seconds away from ripping the wheel out of Ajay's hands, but thankfully Ajay swerved towards the left. "It's a fucking ambush!" Jason turned towards the back. "Get down! Both of you! Hands over your heads!" He ordered towards Liza and Riley. The did as they were asked without question or fight.

"Shit...shit!" Ajay grumbled as he tried to stay focused on the road while going at speeds that made Jason flashback to car chases on Rook Island. "They aren't firing! Why aren't they firing!?" Ajay seemed to think out loud at this point.

Jason fumbled with his radio in an last ditch effort to get help with this, there was no way he could take on all those people while watching after Liza and Riley at the same time. "How far is the nearest fortress, Ajay!?" Jason demanded.

"The nearest fortress... It has to be Noore's! But Noore is dead and the fortress is weak because of it!" Ajay frantically explained. Jason could hear Liza whimpering in fear from the back seat and he knew Riley probably had several uncomfortable flashbacks to Rook Island. The car rocked with every bump from the forest floor they hit and Jason knew it was only a matter of time before something else was thrown their way.

"Some protection is better than no protection!" Jason yelled back to Ajay. Jason brought his radio to his mouth and quickly spoke. "This is Jason Brody with Prince Ajay Ghale! We are under an ambush and need protection fast! We are on our way to-" Before Jason could finish his call for help something flashed in front of the Jeep. It had to have been a flash grenade as Jason could only see white. He honestly figured Ajay would stop the car, or something to that degree, but no, Ajay kept on going.

Jason didn't exactly know what happened next. First, he heard guns firing, then he just felt weightless, like he was falling. He heard Liza and Riley absolutely shriek in sheer terror and then he got his vision back just in time only to see them nosediving towards a river. "Fuck!-"

* * *

Ajay thought for sure he was dead. The last thing he remembered was falling into a river so surely he died, right? Well, the unmistakable sound of the car horn being pressed down on told him otherwise. The horn wasn't the only thing he could hear, he could hear the sound of two panicking voices just behind him. "Jason! Get up, Please!" Liza's voice screeched. Ajay gave a groan and slowly pried himself off of the steering wheel, stopping the horn. He knew something wasn't completely right with him. The whole world just seemed to twist and turn in a nauseating way. That's when it hit him that he couldn't hold his neck up.

"... Fuck!..." Ajay gave out a loud cry of pain as he forced his head to look at the passenger seat. Jason was knocked out, at least that's what it looked like.

"Ajay! Ajay!" Riley's face was suddenly right in front of Ajay's. He looked completely fear-stricken. Ajay wanted to respond but he couldn't focus his mind long enough to form words. Something else caught his attention, the sound of Liza screaming like a mad woman behind him followed by the sound of a window or something getting hit frantically. "Ajay! The car's sinking! Please!" Riley started to shake Ajay in his wild panic.

"Oh, god! We're going to die! We're going to die!" Liza was screaming in the back, her voice was shaking with each word that left her mouth. Ajay's eyes went to Jason. Jason was still knocked unconscious, limp and unmoving from his seat. Still, Ajay used all of his strength to reach his hand over towards Jason. Was it to wake his bodyguard? Or to make sure that Jason was alive? Ajay's hand lightly patted Jason's face as he tried to just get Jason to wake up, but Jason was out like a light.

"Ja... Jason..." Ajay choked out.

"He's not waking up!-Liza! Let go of me!"

"Leave them, Riley! We have to get out of here!"

Ajay couldn't see what was happening all he knew was that the car seemed to rock a little while Riley and Liza were fighting and then... they were gone. All Ajay knew was that they had found a way out and had just left him and Jason to rot? Get captured? Drown? He didn't know. Ajay gritted his teeth as he reached over to touch Jason's face again in some hope to wake him up.

That was when it felt like someone had dumped a bucket of water on Ajay's head. The sunroof was still open from earlier, that's how Liza and Riley left and that's how Ajay and Jason are going to drown. "Jason!" Ajay gasped as he continued to, now, pitifully slap Jason's face. Ajay could hardly see Jason at this point, not through the waterfall falling on top of his head.  _'I... Jason... I need you...'_ Ajay thought. He could feel the water at his knees and he thought for sure he was going to die right there next to Jason. That was until something green floated into his vision. A lone green syringe floated nonchalantly towards Ajay. He didn't have time to question it and, truthfully, he didn't want to question it. Ajay's hand fell from Jason's face as he grabbed the syringe.

Ajay wanted nothing more than to use the syringe on Jason, however, he knew one thing: Jason was unconscious and waking up in a situation such as this would just cause Jason to panic. So, Ajay stabbed himself in the arm with the syringe. Almost instantly he felt relief and was able to move his neck and muscles as intended. Ajay quickly sat up and unbuckled his seatbelt. In a flash, he unbuckled Jason's seatbelt and grabbed him. Ajay could now see that the car was almost completely submerged in the water and that it was filling from the open sunroof. The water was now to the dashboard and Ajay had no idea what to do next. Frantically he was looking up at the sunroof, then down at the windows and doors in hope that something would come to him.

Well, something did, but it wasn't what he wanted. He had no clue that the windshield had cracked during the fall, but boy did he find out about it when it burst. Ajay had no idea what came over him, but he threw his body in front of Jason's in an attempt to shield him from the impact. Then, Ajay felt himself spin and spin until he couldn't tell which way was up or down anymore. Ajay felt his back hit something and he stayed in place under the water this allowed his head to clear up just enough for him to realize that he was still in the car, he was on the roof to be more exact. Jason's limp body floated down below Ajay, kicking the roof Ajay swam to Jason and wrapped his arms tightly around his torso. With one mighty tug Ajay swamp through the sunroof with ease. Ajay wanted nothing more at that moment than to save Jason, he didn't think of anything else, all he wanted was to get to the surface to make sure that Jason was okay and breathing.

Ajay broke through the surface, coughing and sputtering he whipped his head to the side in an attempt to get the water out of his eyes before swimming towards the shore with Jason next to his chest.  _'Lo and behold...'_  Ajay snorted angerly as he could see Riley and Liza on the shore the two were clearly having such a heated fight that they didn't even notice Ajay, not until he was close enough to place Jason's body down on the bank. "Oh, my god! You..." Liza gasped loudly. Ajay paid her no mind as he placed his head to hear Jason's chest in hopes of hearing a heartbeat. Thankfully, there was one. "I-" She couldn't even get her first word out before Ajay turned to her in unbiased rage.

Ajay practically snarled at her "I didn't exactly see you want to help when you left us in that car! You left both of us to die!" He roared not just at her but at Riley as well. "... It doesn't matter, he's breathing..." Ajay shakily stood up and gently grabbed Jason by the arm and wrapped the limp Jason around his shoulders. That was when Riley pushed passed Liza and grabbed Jason's other side. Liza's head hung sadly as she grabbed her arm, it was clear to Ajay that she was regretting her choice to just abandon them like that, especially now.

"... Where are we anyway?" Riley asked Ajay. Ajay tsked his tongue as he allowed himself to look at the area. He was hoping to see something familiar to him, and after a few heartbeats, he did see something off in the distance on a cliff. Ajay's shoulders gave a bit of a slump once he realized just what was there. It honestly felt like more than a coincidence to Ajay as he could only shake his head before pointing at it making Liza and Riley turn as well.

"That's my father's old home... we should be able to rest up there for a while..."

"Is that on a cliff?" Liza questioned Ajay watched as she put her hand over her eyes in an attempt to see the house better.

"Yep... and the way up is to use a grappling hook." Ajay huffed in slight annoyance. Thankfully he thought to bring the grappling hook but bringing Jason's unconscious body up with him...

"I'm sorry, but how exactly do you plan on bringing Jason up there?" Riley was the one to ask the obvious question.

"I don't know yet, but I'll figure it out on the way there, Okay?" Ajay responded with a shrug before walking forward with prompted Riley to do the same. Liza stayed in the back behind them.  _'How exactly am I going to bring Jason up?...'_  Ajay thought to himself before looking up at his father's old house.  _'Why did it have to be there?'_

* * *

"Okay... I'm going to go up first. Riley, look after Jason. Liza, don't abandon them. Here- Ajay reached into his belt and pulled his pistol out and handed it to Riley. "If any Golden path members show up shoot them, aim for the head. If they are in trucks then aim for the gas tanks." He told Riley with full seriousness. "I'm assuming you know how to shoot, right?"

"Of course, I shot a couple of pirates back at Rook island."

Ajay shot a look at Jason. Jason was now slumped down against the cliff wall, head down, hands in his lap, and whole body just limp. Ajay had checked a few times, yes, Jason was breathing, but he wasn't waking and it was concerning Ajay heavily. Ajay sucked in a deep breath before swinging the grappling hook in his hands. "I'll be fast." The plan was really simple, honestly. He was going to grapple up and find something, anything that could be used as a makeshift stretcher for Jason. He also needed it to be something he could tie the rope around and be able to pull back up. Okay, it wasn't  _that_  simple. Ajay also knew he had another problem to deal with as well, but he'll cross that bridge when he gets to it. Ajay gave Riley and Liza a concerned look before throwing the hook.

For Ajay, the grappling hook was a fun experience. He liked the thrill of dangling in the air as well as the freedom that followed suit. Ajay expertly jumped from hook to hook swinging and not missing a single beat. Then, when all was said and done he was on top of the cliff. He turned to look down, no golden path, Riley, and Liza were just lounging around uneasily at the bottom. Ajay turned his head to the door and readied his AK. He had a damn score to settle.

Ajay stormed to the door and kicked it open. "I'm alive! Dickbags!" He roared. He was met with screams of terror as Yogi and Reggie both went to hide. One of them, Ajay couldn't tell who, even jumped into a box for protection. Apologies were uttered pitifully.

"Your Highness! Please! Mercy!" One of them bowed before Ajay. "It was Noore! She told us if we were ever to cross paths to... well..." Ajay's hand was suddenly grabbed as the man made an attempt to kiss it. Ajay responded by snatching his hand back and sneering at him. It was Yogi, that meant that Reggie was the one hiding in the box.

"Don't kiss my hand..." Ajay rolled his eyes.

"Please! Don't shoot us!-"

"-Or tell Pagan!" Reggie cried from inside his box. Ajay could just see the two of them shutter in fear at the mention of Pagan, and that was when the lightbulb went off above Ajay's head, and he slowly lowered his AK.

"Of course, my dad would have your heads for not just drugging me-" Ajay paused as he looked around the squatted remains of his parent's old homes for anything that could be used to help. "-But for also giving me to the arena. I mean, you didn't even give it a second thought about it-" Ajay kicked Reggie's box. "-get out of there." He ordered. Shakily Reggie lifted the lid to the box and even got out to stand next to Yogi. Ajay ground his teeth as he kicked some litter out of his way.

"Please! We'll do anything! Just don't hand us over to Pagan! He'll have us beheaded!"

"Worse." Ajay tsked out of reflex before his eyes finally landed on it. The big empty thangka frame. Ajay practically pushed Yogi and Reggie out of the way as he felt it. It was long enough and he bet it was sturdy enough to hold Jason.

"-Ah! I bet you're wondering about that Thangka-" Yogi started but Ajay quickly cut him off by taking the framing off of the wall, yep, it was heavy as hell, he could hardly hold it up.

"No, not exactly..." Ajay breathed out heavily before placing it down on the floor. Ajay rang his fingers down the frame.  _'I could make holes in the frame and pull the rope through. The problem is I'm going to need help. This frame isn't light and neither is Jason-'_  Ajay only saw a hand flash to his right and before he knew it he had actually grabbed Reggie's hand stopping the man from sticking him with... something. Ajay's teeth gnashed together in anger once he realized that Reggie was attempting to drug him, again. In one good move, he managed to twist Reggie's arm behind his back and shove him to the ground, planting his knee firmly on Reggie's back as he did so. "Are you fucking kidding me!? Now listen here you two dipshits! You're going to help me! I have an injured man that needs healing and I need to bring him up!"

"Not gonna lie, you could have started with that..." Reggie grunted. Ajay got off of Reggie before stomping on the syringe that they attempted to drug him with. Ajay snorted at Yogi's slight groan.

"It took us weeks to come up with that! and you just ruined-" Ajay raised his gun quieting Yogi. "-I mean... we could always make another batch, no problem you're highness!... what did you need help with?"

"I'm glad you asked..." Ajay crossed his arms as he looked at the frame one last time. "Just hang on, Jason, I'm coming."

* * *

It wasn't a perfect stretcher but in the end, it got the job done and that's all Ajay cared about. Liza and Riley had to go up first as the stretcher would be too heavy for Reggie and Yogi alone. Riley, though not perfect, managed to get up on his own. Ajay had to personally carry Liza up. "You know, you should really take up rock climbing some time..." Ajay grunted as he allowed Liza to climb off of his shoulder and sit on the edge of the cliff.

"I'm just amazed on how strong you are! I mean, I just sort of assumed as a prince-"

"-What? as a prince, I can't do my own heavy lifting?" Ajay joked with her, was he still mad at her? Yeah, but he really didn't let it stop him from helping her, maybe it's because she had a connection to Jason. "My dad, though overprotective, still wanted me to learn how to protect myself and fight back."

"So... this was his old home?" Liza questioned as she turned to look at the home. Ajay's smile fell before he rubbed his nose uneasily.  _'She doesn't need to know. Neither of them do.'_

"We don't have all day to chat, Liza." He told her stiffly as he stood up on the cliff. "Let's help get Jason up first."

Riley and Reggie had the first rope, while Liza, Ajay, and Yogi had the other rope. Together all five of them hoisted Jason up the large cliffside. It felt like it was taking forever with each passing moment. Ajay watched as Yogi and Liza's arms were starting to shake with the strain. "Just a little farther!" He tried to encourage them. He then turned his head towards Riley and Reggie and saw that Riley wasn't just straining but it seemed like he was starting to slide towards the edge of the cliff. Ajay could feel the weight start to strain on him as well as his own sneakers started to skid as well, he tried to keep his feet planted firmly, but it wasn't working.

They pulled and pulled, Ajay swore his arms were going to pop out of their sockets the higher they brought Jason. "Jason really needs to lose some weight!" Riley commented with a heavy grunt. Truthfully, they were all thinking it. Ajay felt his knees shake and his body start to lower towards the ground and it was at that moment did he see Jason's fluffy brown hair poke up at the edge of the cliff.

"Okay! Hold!" Ajay practically screamed.

 _"Hold?!_  Mate! My damn arms are about to come out their sockets!" Reggie screamed to Ajay.

"I'm going to grab him!" Ajay responded back. He let go of the rope and by the sounds of Liza's and Yogi's yells they didn't appreciate it. Ajay didn't give them a single thought through. He instead rushed to Jason's body. the makeshift stretcher was a little lopsided, but thankfully Jason was unharmed and still in one piece. Ajay reached down and managed to grab Jason by his arms first. With a heavy and loud grunt, Ajay made an attempt to hoist Jason up there was just one small problem. Jason was still too far down for Ajay to pull him up. "Dammit! Try and pull him up a little higher!" He commanded the others. Ajay was bent down looking down at the bottom of the cliff as he still had Jason's arms in his hands and thank god he did. Jason only moved up a centimeter, then there was a loud scream and the stretcher was suddenly falling down. Ajay made a mad lunge to tighten his grip on Jason's arms. Ajay almost went falling himself and he saw his whole life flash before his eyes, but thankfully he felt several pairs of hands grab the back of his jacket and together he and Jason were pulled to safety.

Jason's head was on Ajay's chest, and his whole body just completely entangled with Ajay's, while Ajay sat back on his hands in a slightly terrified daze. Reggie and Yogi both peered over the cliff while Liza and Riley were both taking some serious breathers behind Ajay.

"Oh, mate, hopefully, you didn't want to go find that thangka of yours now," Reggie spoke first. "That frame is no more..."

Ajay's right hand went to Jason's hair, why? Even he didn't know. "I couldn't care less about some thangka right now, the only thing I care about is getting Jason healed, and fast."


	9. A long way down

Jason had to wonder if he was looking at an angel. Granted his vision wasn't too focused, but Jason could see the outline of a dark-skinned face. He felt a warm leather cradle his left cheek gently. "Are you awake?" His angel whispered softly. Then just like that everything cleared and he realized that he was looking at Ajay.

"urg…" Was the only thing that could leave Jason's mouth as a shit ton of pain hit him all at once. Every limb hurt, his head was pounding, and he was ninety-five percent sure that his right shoulder might have been dislocated. "Fuck..." He groaned out, he was almost ready to start vomiting. Jason breathed in and out deeply before he focused on Ajay. Ajay had a look of concern on his face his eyes were almost abnormally soft as he looked at Jason before he gently continued to caress his left cheek with his thumb. Jason didn't mind it at all. "What happened?" Jason questioned he remembered being in a jeep and a golden path ambush, but after that is all blank.

Ajay sucked in a deep breath this time around and slowly picked at a loose string hanging on his jacket. "We fell into a river..." From there Ajay told Jason everything, the Jeep sinking, Liza and Riley abandoning them, and Ajay eventually getting them out and having to hoist Jason up on a stretcher to the old Ghale homestead.

"Have you lost your mind?" Jason asked at the end of it all. "You could have died."

"Well, I wasn't going to leave you to drown!" Ajay huffed in response.

Jason gave a sudden groan as a wave of pain hit his neck, "Doesn't matter, it sounds like I'm done for anyway. Pagan is going to kill me, I can feel it. It's my fault all of this happened anyway-"

"He won't kill you," Ajay whispered softly as he changed positions to sit beside Jason this time around. "I won't let him."

"Heh. C'mon, you can't like me that much, Ajay. I mean you can always get another bodyguard."

"Yeah, but I can't replace you."

There was a heavy silence that hung in the air between the two of them as Ajay suddenly placed his hand on top of Jason's forehead. The leather from Ajay's glove was warm and honestly a little welcoming "Where are Liza and Riley?" Jason questioned once he realized that they weren't there with them.

"I sent them to get some green plants for syringes."

"Those two British-"

"I told them to leave... I think they set up camp ten feet away from the house, to be honest."

Jason gave a slow chuckle. "So, it's just the two of us?"

"For the time being. You know Jason, being with Liza and Riley for a short while made me realize... I don't know all that much about you." Ajay stood up from his spot next to Jason and started to walk around the room. Jason kept his gaze upon the ceiling for a few short heartbeats before focusing back on Ajay. Ajay had a candle in his hand was currently trying to light it up. Jason watched as the lighter in Ajay's hand clicked a few times before finally sprouting a tiny orange flame.

"Heh, what's there to tell?"

"Surely there's more to your Rook Island story. Something you're not telling that is."

Jason frowned at Ajay as he placed the, now lit, candle down on the ground. "How do you know?"

"Jason, when we first met you summed up everything in twenty seconds flat."

"Good point."

"C'mon, man-" Ajay sat beside Jason again. "-You can tell me, I won't judge." His voice as soft and honestly convincing.

Maybe it was the look of interest Ajay was giving him, or maybe it was because Jason trusted Ajay, either way, he found himself actually speaking up. "... There was a woman... Citra. She was the sister to Vaas, a crazy ass pirate..." Jason started to go through the whole story to Ajay, how Citra was the leader of the resistance towards Vaas, how Jason was 'The warrior' the island craved, how he and Citra actually fell in love with each other. Ajay stayed quiet during the whole thing as he just listened to Jason practically vent. Then came the hard part. "...Citra wanted me to kill my friends..."

"Well... at least you chose the right thing in the end-"

"-I almost didn't. I was actually... hesitant about it. In the end, yes, I untied them, but at that very moment I almost... I... it doesn't matter. I tied them down and Dennis made an attempt to kill me because I defied Citra's wishes. Citra protected me and died... then... I was no longer 'The warrior of Rook Island' I was rejected by everyone. We ran to the boat and got out of there as fast as possible..."

"Wow... just like that-"

"-Just like that everything was stripped away from me. Hell... even though I chose them, Oliver, Daisy, and Keith don't talk to me anymore. They do everything they can to avoid me actually. Only Liza and Riley bother to give me the time of day..."

"That's why you wanted to be my bodyguard... to gain back some semblance of Rook Island? To be 'The warrior' again?" Ajay softly asked Jason.

"... I think so... I just... wasn't ready to leave it all behind... does that make me pathetic?"

"I don't think so. It makes you... brave, very brave. Most people wouldn't dare try and go back to shooting guns in a war zone a second time," Ajay's eyes suddenly softened as he gently leaned down and pressed his forehead against Jason's "I'm sorry about Citra."

"Eh, don't be. I think looking back it was for the best. Something tells me I wouldn't like what she had prepared for me in the end... besides... I'm over her..." Ajay felt Jason's hand move to gently touch his own.

What happened next was just a spur of the moment decision for Ajay he didn't even hesitate he just gently planted his lips on top of Jason's. Jason kissed him back in return. For Ajay, everything just melted away as he focused on nothing else but Jason. Ajay is the adoptive son of the insane Pagan Min and rightful prince to the throne of Kyrat hasn't exactly had many moments like this. It felt nice and he couldn't be any more relieved that Jason accepted him for it as well. Finally, the two broke apart. "So, how long have you felt this way?" Jason asked with a bit of a smirk on his lips.

"Honestly? Earlier. I thought I had lost you in that crash and feared the worst then, just like that, it hit me... you?"

"A while ago... I hallucinated that you kissed me and... well... you aren't a skeleton right?"

Ajay chuckled softly. "Nope, I'm the real deal." To prove it Ajay gave Jason another kiss on the lips however, Jason let out a loud gasp of pain causing Ajay to back up.

"Shit! Sorry... My ribs..." Jason groaned in pain.

"Right... I need to go and check on Liza and Riley about those syringes!" Ajay quickly stood from his spot.

"Yes, please..." Jason gritted his teeth in pain. Ajay turned and got ready to walk out of the door, he was upstairs in his parent's old bedroom, he figured that would be the best place to place Jason as the downstairs was currently littered with old syringes by Yogi and Reggie. However, when Ajay opened the bedroom door and Immediately, as well as unexpectantly, kicked some green plants that were sitting in front of the door. He instantly got suspicious and raised an eyebrow.  _'Who left these here?'_  Ajay thought as he bent down and grabbed the plants.  _'More importantly... who was eavesdropping?'_  tsking his tongue against the roof of his mouth Ajay wanted to go and investigate, but... He turned his head towards Jason, who was still clearly in pain.  _'Jason first...'_  He decided before shutting the door.

* * *

Liza gave a loud scream as she proceeded to chuck rocks off of the cliff. "Fucking... ass!" She yelled with each rock she threw, her voice echoed around the canyon no doubt scaring the local wildlife as several birds went flying from their spots in the trees. "I gave you  _everything_! Why is it never enough!?" Liza screamed at the top of her lungs, her throat itched as her vocal cords stretched. She felt intense anger towards Jason.

"Liza?" Came Riley's voice from behind her. Liza didn't even look at him, no, she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Instead, she just looked out at the tall trees and beautiful landscape.

"Eh! Lass, are you  _trying_  to alert the Golden Path of our location?" Came Yogi's irritated voice.

"Liza, just tell me what's wrong, please?" Riley came up beside her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Liza found herself shrugging it off with an angry huff.

"Your dumbass brother, that's what's wrong. I gave up so much for him, he couldn't even be happy for me when I got that acting tryout! I... I still love him! Of course, I still love him! I wouldn't have traveled to this third world country else wise!-" Liza put the palm of her hand against her head before squeezing her eyes shut and giving out a soft sob. "-But clearly... he doesn't feel the same way... not anymore..." She tried to blink the tears away, but they just kept coming falling from her eyes and on to her cheeks. Liza gave out another shuddered breath before shaking her head.

"What happened? What did he say?"

"He... it's not what he said... Riley... he kissed Ajay!"

"-The prince? Like we're talking about the same Ajay Ghale here, right?" Yogi asked currently interrupting their moment.

"Yeah!" Liza threw her hands up in the air irritably at Yogi.

"No, fuckin' way! That's... actually pretty insane! Whew! I reckon that bodyguard doesn't have much longer to live now!"

Liza and Riley looked at each before back at Yogi. "What do you mean?" Riley was the one to ask uneasily at the obvious ominous threat.

"Well, Ajay's father, the king, is insanely protective of Ajay-"

"-Insanely? Try more like borderline unhealthily protective of Ajay." Reggie suddenly came into the picture. "That's the whole reason we even agreed to help, you know? Ajay threatened to tell Pagan about us drugging him."

"Oh, Please. He can't be  _that_  protective of Ajay. I mean... He wouldn't kill Jason over... he couldn't... he hired Jason!" Liza gave an uneasy laugh at the two.

Reggie gave a shrug, "You really don't know much about Pagan Min, do you?"

"Shouldn't it be Pagan Ghale?" Riley suddenly asked almost cutting Reggie off. Reggie and Yogi looked at each other before giving out loud laughs.

"Oh, boy, Chav! You shouldn't be saying  _that_  out loud! That'll get you shot by Pagan himself!" Yogi slapped his own knee, he had a big ol' grin on his face. "Pagan Ghale! Can you believe it, Reggie!" Reggie, however, stopped laughing once he realized they weren't laughing with them. Instead, he just nudged Yogi.

"Mate... I don't think they know..."

Both of them then mirrored each other movements with their hands on their chins as they looked at Liza and Riley's still confused faces. "Don't know what?" Liza slowly pried them for more information.

"Ajay isn't Pagan's real son. Pagan adopted him-"

"-What... what did he find him as an orphan?" Liza pried more but she was only met with shrugs from the duo.

"Well, we dunno the whole story-" Yogi started but Reggie quickly finished his sentence.

"-But we do know that Ajay's real father was the one who started and lead the resistance against Pagan Min."

Once again Liza and Riley looked at each other both shared a look of befuddled confusion when Yogi and Reggie looked ready to walk away Riley was the one to ask. "Wait, what resistance is that?"

Yogi was the one to laugh cruelly at Riley in turn. "Are you daft? The Golden Path of course!"

"The people who were trying to kill us earlier?"

"Ya. Ajay turned them down and now Sabal wants Ajay's head on a platter."

"So, let me get this straight... Ajay is the adoptive son of Pagan, but the biological son of the man that clearly hated Pagan min? How did that work out?"

"Mate. I don't know every detail of Kyrat. I only know what I know from Noore." Yogi finished up the conversation with before walking away with Reggie.

"Oh, God... we have to stop Jason! He's going to die if he stays with Ajay!" Riley yelled quickly. "If Pagan is as insane as we've been told, oh god-"

"-No!" Liza turned her head away from Riley in a bitter fashion. "Jason clearly knows what he's getting into! He's the one who accepted the job from that psychopath, he knew the risks!"

"Liza... I know you're upset, hell,I'm upset! Jason's just being... he's just being his normal stupid Jason self right now. We have to stop him and bring him home-" Riley watched as Liza just kept her head turned towards the cliff with her nose up in the air. "-You want to know what I think? I don't think he truly likes Ajay. I think he still into Citra, and Ajay is the next best thing to him, but he needs to see that for himself."

Liza's turned just a bit at that, "You think?"

"Think about it. Citra was like... a princess, I think... right? Ajay's a prince, both are dark skinned and in need of some... 'warrior' to protect them and help fight off some opposing enemy. Only now? I think Jason might be on the wrong side-maybe-I don't know, but most 'Kings' don't get a large resistance like The Golden Path for no damn reason. From what I'm getting Pagan is a dictator and Jason blindly accepted a job."

"... What can we do?"

"I don't know, I'll think of something, I lost one brother and I really don't want to lose another."

* * *

Jason gave a low sigh of relief as Ajay stabbed him in the arm with a freshly made syringe. "Don't worry, I grabbed the needle with the least amount of blood on it." Ajay gave a half laugh at his joke.

"Haha." Jason sarcastically laughed at Ajay. Then after a few seconds, he was able to sit up and lean against the wall with no effort at all. "So, I wasn't dreaming earlier, right? You  _did_  kiss me?"

"Well, Mr. Brody..." Ajay gave a low grunt as he sat next to Jason against the wall on the floor. "I think these past days I've come to realize that I was having... actual feelings for you. I mean... I never thought I'd see the day I would stay in a drowning car or nearly fall off of a cliff for anyone but my father, or aunt Yuma. I just... " Ajay paused as he tried to find the right words, but nothing was coming to mind at that moment. Jason reached over and touched Ajay's knee.

"... I realized I was having some... feelings towards you as well, Ajay. It just happened so suddenly and out of nowhere that it actually caught me off guard so badly that I was almost ready to start avoiding you."

"Kinda hard when you're a bodyguard there, Jason."

The two of them laughed before Ajay suddenly rested his head against the crook of Jason's neck. "When you wouldn't wake up in the car, or even when we put you on the stretcher. I actually feared the worse. I was constantly checking your breathing... Jason... I... was never really able to feel this way towards another person before."

"You weren't?"

"I love my father, but you know how he gets. If anyone so much as looked at me in an interesting manner that person would just... go missing. I remember when I was nineteen there was this younger soldier, no older than myself, that expressed interested in me. Like, I'm talking a  _lot_  of interest. One day, in secret, the soldier went as far as to give me flowers I just remembered being so baffled by the gift that... I told my dad..."

"What happened?" Jason asked after a couple of seconds.

"I never saw him again. Dad said that the soldier was moved more towards the south, but I know now... My dad was so afraid of me getting hurt... he probably had the poor soldier shot."

"Jesus..."

"Like I said. My father is no saint..." Ajay gave a weak chuckle before suddenly shaking his head. "If you want to run now, you can."

"Nah, I'm not leaving you that easily, Ajay." Jason then wrapped his arm around Ajay's shoulder and actually pulled him in close. Jason felt Ajay tense at the sudden touch, but the prince quickly relaxed and just continued to rest his head on Jason's shoulder.

"Jason... we still have to save Bhadra..."

"I know, but... just a few more seconds like this, okay?" Jason whispered as he then rested his cheek against the top of Ajay's head. Honestly, Ajay and Jason could have stayed like that for hours. That would be if it weren't for a low humming coming their way, it made Ajay jump once he recognized the sound. "Helicopter..." Jason was the one to respond as he looked up at the roof. Ajay slowly stood from his spot on the floor before grabbing his gun.

"We only have AK's... we can't shoot down a helicopter-" That was when a familiar voice cut through the air.

"Ajay! Darling! It's your father!"

"Dad!"

Ajay didn't even think he just ran out of the room. Jason went rushing after Ajay the two of them raced down the steps and ran out of the house as fast as they could. By the time they were outside the helicopter had landed, Pagan and several soldiers, along with Yuma were already outside. Liza and Riley were keeping their distance from the helicopter, probably a smart move, Jason decided to hang back with them while Ajay ran to Pagan. The two of them shared a quick hug.

"How'd you find us?!" Ajay inquired loudly.

"We heard about the palace attack from the mountains and raced back as quickly as possible, by the time we got there you were already gone, some fat American was there, however. He explained that you were at the airport-"

"-but when we got there you were already gone." Yuma cut Pagan off as she glanced down at her fingernails with boredom.

"-And... oh, Ajay, I'm not going to lie to you." Pagan cupped Ajay's face in his hands lovingly. "I panicked and just started looking everywhere for you, this was just on the list of places to look." Pagan frowned before placing his forehead against Ajay's.

"Well, I'm fine, everyone is-"

Pagan's head popped away from Ajay's as he turned to look at Jason, Liza, and Riley. "Yes... who are these two people?"

Jason let out a shaky breath before responding. "Your Majesty, I apologize but... they're with me. That's my little brother Riley, and my... friend Liza. They came to check in on me, I had no idea-"

"Jason..." Jason cringed at Pagan's voice and expected the worse, but he got a bit of surprise. "Why didn't you just say something? I would have personally made sure they would have had a convoy straight to the palace! You didn't have to go through all this trouble!" Pagan tsked his tongue dramatically before shaking his head. "It seems like we'll have two more than expected... hm..." Pagan seemed to be thinking about something else before he just waved his hand and turned around towards the helicopter. "No matter. Let's go back to the palace! Where it's safe."

"Dad... Bhadra, we have to get her back!" Ajay quickly spoke up to Pagan before looking back at Jason.

Pagan paused, his back still turned to Ajay before turning around to face his son. "Ajay... I know she meant a lot to you, but... I feel like I should tell you... she's the one who told the Golden Path where she was... she wasn't kidnapped, she willingly left with Sabal. I feared something like this would happen, but I thought... oh, I'm so sorry..." Jason knew exactly what Ajay was feeling because he was feeling the exact same thing. Betrayal. All Jason could do was just pat Ajay's shoulder comfortingly, Ajay didn't respond, but Jason could see that he was confused as his brow remained furrowed. "Anyway, we should probably get going! Dinner will be cold! I'll have to tell the maid to make two more plates, I hope you guys like Panipuri."

Riley and Liza seemed a little cautious as they slowly stepped forwards towards the helicopter, surprisingly Ajay hasn't moved, it wasn't until Jason gently tugged on Ajay's jacket did Ajay snap his head up to look at Jason. "C'mon..." Jason ushered him towards the chopper as he placed his hand on Ajay's shoulder, Ajay responded by bringing his own hand up to squeeze Jason's in response. Ajay quickly let go of Jason's when he saw Yuma turn her head to look at them. Jason hopped into the helicopter first, the helicopter had no doors, so it made it pretty easy for everyone to just hop on in. After everyone got in, along with two armed guards they all quickly found seats and strapped themselves in.

Ajay took the seat next to the window, Jason beside him, Pagan next to Jason, then Yuma, Liza, and Riley took the seat next to the pilot. The only ones who didn't have seats were the armed guards, no they stood beside the doors with their guns at the ready. Jason clicked his seatbelt together when Pagan suddenly spoke: "Jason, just a small warning that seatbelt sticks."

"Oh?" Jason hit the red button and tried to take the straps out, but sure enough, they wouldn't budge. Jason's lips frowned as he started to struggle with it now. "C'mon!" He snapped angerly, his face now scrunched as he made an attempt to undo the stubborn seatbelt he twisted and pulled but it made no difference. Ajay's hands then came into his vision and all Ajay pushed the button down for Jason.

"Now wiggle it," Ajay told him, Jason did as he was told and wiggled the buckle, the buckle moved inch by inch out of the belt. Jason nearly punched himself in the face as the buckle suddenly became free and Jason's own fist with flying back at him, thankfully he didn't punch himself, that apparently didn't stop Ajay from laughing at him. Jason's eyes darted over to Ajay. Ajay had his hand over his mouth as he chuckled at Jason. Jason just gave him a pity chuckle in return before relaxing in his seat. The blades to the helicopter suddenly roared to life Jason moved his head up a little to get a good look out the window. The grass and nearby trees started to wildly move with the heavy gusts of the helicopter blades, then before he knew it they were up in the air.

Now, Jason wasn't airsick, thank goodness, but the moment he saw Ajay undo his seatbelt and walk over to the edge of the helicopter he felt his heart jump and his stomach churn. "W-What are you doing?"

"Enjoying the view," Ajay shrugged nonchalantly, Jason turned to Pagan, who was currently busy looking at his phone playing Candy Crush to be more exact. Jason just sucked in a deep breath before slowly standing and walking over to the door. Out of everything Jason ever had to endure on Rook Island heights was something he never found himself too fond of particularly when he's falling or being pushed. So, he didn't really bother looking out the helicopter, instead, he focused his eyes on the ceiling. "Can't exactly enjoy the view if you don't look at it," Ajay commented.

"I mean... what's to really enjoy? A bloodbath between two parties?" Jason shrugged.

"Jason... look," Ajay spoke simply, the helicopter rocked slightly and Jason shut his eyes before letting out a big breath. He turned his head and reopened his eyes so he'd have no choice but to look at the view, and when he saw it, he honestly felt awestruck. The view from above was actually something that Jason couldn't believe he missed out on before.

Yeah, it was a pretty view, but the upcoming sunset seemed to make Kyrat from a bird's eye view almost magical. The way the sunset bounced off of the many mountain tops and cascaded the entire land in a golden red glow just made it... beautiful. "Jesus..."

"Yeah..." Ajay placed a hand on Jason's shoulder and gave it a bit of a squeeze. Both of them unaware of Yuma nudging Pagan to look at them at that moment. "It's beautiful, and it shows that it's more than just bloodbath between two parties. It's a beautiful land that needs to be protected."

"Almost like you-your palace!" Jason quickly corrected himself, not exactly ready to make his affections public in front of Pagan of all people, before rubbing the back of his head nervously. Ajay snorted at Jason before looking back out at Kyrat, Ajay's hand slipped away from Jason's shoulder after a couple heartbeats. For a few passing minutes, nothing was said between anybody, everything was dead silent. Though that made Jason realize that someone was watching him. Swiveling his head around he caught both Pagan and Liza quickly look away from him. Liza didn't scare him, but Pagan... oh, boy.  _'Maybe... I should go back-to-'_

Jason never did get to finish that thought. A loud gunshot rang through the helicopter and within only a matter of seconds everything went to chaos. Jason didn't know what exactly happened, but he did know that the whole helicopter swerved violently to it's right and if Jason weren't next to Ajay at that moment he would have lost him. Ajay swung his arms wildly in circles to keep his balance but it didn't stop him and he fell back over the edge. Jason quickly grabbed Ajay's shirt and pulled him back in. He quickly held Ajay close to his chest in an attempt to keep him close and away from the edge and made a mad rush for their seats. Jason just couldn't comprehend what happened next. First, they were going for their seats, then they were violently thrown up against the ceiling of the helicopter before being thrown right back down again.

Jason's head hit the ground hard enough to knock him out, but Ajay was still conscious. Liza was screaming bloody murder, Pagan was screaming for Ajay, Yuma seemed to be knocked out, one of the two soldiers wasn't even in the helicopter anymore, and by the yelling from the front Riley had taken control of the helicopter. Riley must have straightened the helicopter out for the time being. Ajay forced himself up to his feet. "Ajay! Ajay! Get into your seat!" Pagan demanded. Ajay wasn't even listening to his father as he grabbed Jason's arms and started to drag him towards his seat.

"Dammit, Brody..." Ajay hissed bitterly. Jason's seat felt like it was a million miles away to Ajay as his father was still yelling at him to get back into his own seat, and with Liza's own scared screaming. Still, Ajay managed to get Jason's limp body into the seat and quickly fumbled for the seatbelt.

All Jason heard was the loud clicking at his seatbelt, then he heard the screaming and yelling. Opening his eyes sleepily he felt confused before it all hit him at once that the helicopter was going down and fast. He found himself actually snapping at Ajay "Are you crazy!? Strap yourself in first!" He demanded Ajay, but it was too late. There was a deafening  _boom!_  and before Jason knew it they were spinning out of control.

Ajay went flying and thought for sure he was going to meet his end. He actually felt completely weightless for a few good seconds as he went back. His hand was out in an attempt to grab Jason's own hand but all that happened was their fingertips just barely gazed each other in passing. Ajay screamed loudly as he was thrown out of the helicopter for the second time. Ajay hit the helicopter floor first and dug his hands into the floor in a feeble attempt to hang on for dear life. Ajay felt his whole body move back inch by inch he knew he was only seconds from certain death.

Jason tried his hardest to get out of the seat but his stupid seatbelt wouldn't release him! "Fucking let go!" He violently twisted and yanked the belt but it just wouldn't release. He watched hopelessly as Ajay was sliding inch by inch out of the helicopter. Jason hadn't even noticed that Pagan had been knocked unconscious or that Riley was trying desperately to straighten the falling helicopter, however; he did notice the one remaining soldier come to Ajay's rescue. The soldier that had been knocked out for only a few seconds had run to Ajay and quickly grabbed his hands.

"I got you, your Majesty!" The soldier cried loudly and pulled Ajay to his feet. Before Ajay could say or do anything the soldier pushed him into his seat, which probably saved Ajay's life as at that moment that exact side hit a tree spinning the helicopter to the other side and sending the man out. Jason probably would have mourned, but at that moment he was more focused on Ajay. Quickly Ajay strapped himself into his seat, Jason then looked out the helicopter windshield once Ajay was safe in his seat. Jason only saw them going towards the earth below. Kyrat didn't look so beautiful now, not when he was barreling towards the earth in a metal death trap. Yet, when Ajay grabbed his hand Jason felt a little more at peace.

* * *

It was honestly a little hard for Riley to believe that the whole crash had taken place in just little under a minute, but it had. Riley witnessed it all. The pilot had gotten shot by a sniper and his body leaned against the steering wheel before falling off causing the helicopter to twist to the right. Riley had managed to reach the wheel without leaving his seat, he wanted to make it straight so he could get to the pilot seat more easily, well that caused the whole helicopter to a barrel roll, but thankfully it straightened itself out afterward. He could hear Pagan and Liza screaming as he unbuckled himself to take control, but then the tail was blown out and from there everything was out of Riley's hands. The most he could do was try and slow the helicopter down, but he still hit the ground hard enough to knock himself out along with everyone else.

He knew he wasn't out long, and he knew if he wanted to get Jason and Liza to safety then he knew he needed to act fast. Riley unbuckled himself before looking back at the remains of the helicopter. Everyone was still in their seats but all were completely knocked out. Ajay's head was against Jason's neck while the two of them were obviously holding hands, hell, their hands were still intertwined. Riley didn't bother on Jason just yet, no he turned and ran to Liza. Liza had her head against the wall and quietly Riley shook her. "Liza, wake up..." he whispered to her as he shook her shoulders. Liza's eyes opened sleepily. She was taking in everything before she focused on Riley. "Wha-"

"Sh!" Riley definitely heard something off in the distance. He covered her mouth and the two stayed quiet for a good minute. Riley knew he wasn't crazy and figured that it was probably the Golden Path coming for them. "Help me get Jason and let's get out of this warzone!" He whispered harshly before releasing Liza from her seat. Liza scrambled to her feet. Together the two of them worked to get Jason out of his seat. The seatbelt really didn't want to give and after a few long seconds of trying, Riley gave a loud curse. "Fuck, stupid seatbelt!"

"Didn't Ajay say something about wiggling it?" Liza suggested. Riley looked ready to retort but quickly ducked down.

"Shit... look," He pointed out the helicopter and Liza turned her head to see what he was looking at. At first, she saw nothing and was starting to put Riley's sanity into question until she noticed that off in the darkness she could see lights coming towards them. Riley quickly started to pat Pagan down in an attempt to find some sort of pocket knife.  _'C'mon evil dictator you have to have some sort of knife!'_  Riley padded down Pagan's front pockets and found nothing, not even a wallet, then he went up towards Pagan's shirt pocket and felt something large quickly he thought maybe his luck was turning around, However, when all he did was pull out a pen he just tsked and threw the pen out of the helicopter in his short-tempered rage. "Dammit!"

"Keep quiet!" Liza whispered harshly at Riley. Riley noticed that she was indeed trying to wiggle the seatbelt out of its buckle frantically. Riley looked up to see the lights coming closer now and he could safely identify them as flashlights.

"-Remember! Sabal said to keep the King and Ajay alive!" He heard a voice yell loudly through the forest.

"Hurry, Liza!"

"Got it!" Liza's hand went flying back as the seatbelt finally released. Without the seatbelt holding him up, Jason plummeted down on to the ground. The oddest thing was that his hand didn't let go of Ajay's, but because of the sudden movement it wasn't much of an issue as Ajay's glove actually came off in Jason's hand, it even showed that Jason was still alive as he crumpled the glove in his hand.

"Grab his legs, let's get out of here!" He ordered in a hushed whisper to Liza. Liza clearly didn't need to be told twice as she ran over and grabbed Jason's knees with both of her arms. Riley grabbed Jason under his arms. "On three... One... two... three!" Together they both managed to hoist Jason up. Riley quickly backed out of the helicopter while Liza walked forward. "I'm going to need you to be my eyes, Babe."

"Don't call me, Babe," Liza grunted at Riley as together they walked away from the helicopter crash with Jason in their arms. It probably looked as clumpy as it felt for them. Riley had to stop every few minutes to readjust Jason's shoulders in his arms while Liza constantly felt herself tripping over something, be it an uprooted tree or some stick on the ground."What about Ajay? We're just going to leave them to be killed or executed?" Liza broke the silence after a good long while.

Riley had honestly wondered the same thing, yeah those people wanted him alive, but for what? ' _To torture him probably.'_ Riley thought to himself before shuttering at the idea.  _'You left him to be tortured, you know first hand what its like and you're just going to leave him. He's no older than Jason..'_  Riley wanted nothing more than to get these thoughts out of his head. "I'm sorry, it's Jason or Ajay in this situation. I'm choosing Jason every time. Besides, we don't belong here who are we to stop this? It's clear that this rebellion has been going on for a long time and it's obvious that they want a change. If you ask me, Ajay probably should have stayed with his biological dad's wishes. I mean... did you see how fearful Jason was around him?"

"Hm," Liza grunted loudly as she paused just briefly to readjust Jason's legs before continuing on. "Let's just find a car and get to the airport ASAP."

Riley looked up, the helicopter crash was no longer in their field of vision but he knew the helicopter was found by the bright green flare suddenly flying up into the air. A part of him did feel a little bad, but he knew that family always came first, especially when it came to some weird psychopaths. "Agreed, let's get the hell out of dodge."


	10. Part one: Separated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I got far cry 5 recently and with it I got far cry 3 so now I have 3,4, and 5, in short, I've never been more motivated to write this fanfic!
> 
> Okay just a heads up, trigger warning, whatever. This chapter will involve torture. I know, not what you expected from a love story, but it's there. You've been warned

 

Ajay didn't like the old, rotten, borderline dilapidated ceiling above his head. He could see dark slimy black mold growing in the corner that seemed to crawl all the way across the whole yellow surface of the ceiling. He didn't like the look of termites that seemed to move under the wallpaper and fly around looking for their next meal. He didn't like it, but he had to focus on the ceiling, for if he didn't then he'd have to focus on the bonds around his neck, ankles, and hands keeping him immobile and he really didn't want to focus on that for now because if he did focus on that then he'd have to focus on the inevitable torture coming his way before too long and he  _really_ didn't want to think about that.

Ajay didn't know much at the moment but he did know this much: His dad wasn't with him, his Aunt Yuma wasn't with him, Jason wasn't with him, and that he truly feared for all of their lives. Silently Ajay bit at his lip as he focused on the ever-growing mold in the far corner of the room.  _'This is all your fault. You let Bhadra in she told Sabal everything...'_  A bitter voice told him in his head. He could only give out a shaky breath before he tried to move his left hand in hopes that maybe the steel shackle would give away, but all it did was cause the shackle to jingle against the chain.  _'Nobody is getting out alive. Especially not you.'_  That voice told him once again. Ajay now let out several soft puffs of air through his nose in a botched attempt to keep calm. Ajay then tried to move his right leg up, but as before the most that happened was that the shackle jingled and he was still unable to move. His eyes moved to the ceiling's beam he could make out a tiny hole in the ceiling that allowed a small ray of light to beam in. It was something interesting for him to focus on.

That was until the door opened. Ajay wanted to turn his head, but the shackle around neck stopped that real quick and in a hurry. Still, he didn't need to see who was coming in, the smug air that seemed to suddenly flood the room told him who it was. "Hey! Sabal! Long time no see!" Ajay half-joked to the resistance leader. "I mean I  _can't_  see you like I am now, but you're such an ass I know who you are without the need to look at you!" Ajay was suddenly met with a punch to the side of the head that was enough to make him see stars float around his vision.  _'Worth it.'_

"So, little prince. Are you enjoying your stay?" Sabal questioned as he suddenly came into Ajay's vision. Sabal made sure that Ajay saw the sharp scalpel in his hands as it seemed he was testing with his own thumb to test its sharpness.

"I mean... it's no five star, and I'm tied to a table. So... no, also fuck you, just 'cause I don't like you-" Sabal interrupted Ajay by squeezing his hand against Ajay's cheeks making him shut up.

"I should cut that traitorous tongue out of your mouth right now!-" Sabal suddenly brought the scalpel up to Ajay's face but paused in his action "-... but I'm saving that for tonight..." Sabal let go of Ajay's face before suddenly, and violently, ripping Ajay's jacket open. The pull tab went flying off, clattering halfway across the room as it did so, the zipper itself actually broke off and practically halfway off of the jacket now.

"H-Hey!" Ajay snapped. He tried to move, he wanted nothing more than to punch Sabal in his smug stupid face right now, but he just couldn't move. Sabal pointed the scalpel down at the base of Ajay's, now exposed, collarbone.

"Right there. I'm going to mark you as the traitor you are for all of Kyrat to see!" With a sudden and quick movement from Sabal, Ajay only felt pain from the blade slice his skin in one long line. Ajay let out a loud groan of pain before clenching his teeth, he wasn't going to give Sabal the pleasure of hearing him scream in pain. Ajay let out several quick breaths before feeling the blade slice his chest again. Ajay wanted nothing more than to shoot Sabal right then and there but the stupid shackles kept him firmly in place, his breathing was a little more frantic now as the pain his chest rose and fell violently and this didn't go unnoticed "Now, now Ajay, I only got the T done! if you don't level your breathing I might make a mistake and have to scribble it out." Sabal smug voice whispered in Ajay's ear.

"Fuck... you!" Ajay snarled out. Sabal responded by simply stabbing right into Ajay's arm with the scalpel. It caught Ajay so off guard that he threw his head back and let out a scream of pain.

"I suggest you watch your language! Son of Mohan!"

Ajay clenched his teeth together and even started to grind together as Sabal yanked the scalpel out of his arm. Sill, Ajay was never one to not piss off Sabal if given the chance. "I am Ishiwari's son and the adoptive son of Pagan Min! Mohan was a coward-"

"-And it's  _that_  slander that makes me want to thrust this scalpel into that neck of yours!" Sabal brought the scalpel up to Ajay's neck quickly but seemed to have some form of self-control as he paused just briefly before pulling back. "-Like I said, I'm saving that for tonight!" Ajay hissed in pain as Sabal then proceeded to jab the scalpel into Ajay's torso before dragging it down more violently than before. Ajay let out loud heavy groans of immense pain as he tried to focus his eyes on the ceiling, but that wasn't working anymore. He could feel the blood start to run down his chest now, his tank top was catching some of the blood and soaking it up no doubt. Ajay honestly wasn't even aware that he was holding his breath until his lungs started to ache. When he did let out his breath a loud cry left his mouth, something he had no control over. "Aw? Little prince can't handle what his beloved Paul De Pluer gives out to our soldiers every day?" Sabal sarcastically cooed at Ajay in a sickly sweet voice. Ajay breathed out heavily, his eyes widening in pain as Sabal continued to carve into his skin without waiting for an answer from Ajay. "Mohan would be so ashamed to have you as his son."

"Yeah... well, I'm ashamed to have him as a fath- _AH_!" Before Ajay could even finish his sentence Sabal had stabbed his chest violently but it didn't stop there, no Ajay knew he had hit a nerve as Sabal pulled the scalpel out and then proceeded to stab it in again, and again, and again, and again. Each time the pain getting more and more excruciating with each stab. Ajay tried to hold in his cries of pain, but the more Sabal stabbed him the more unbearable it became until finally, Ajay couldn't take it anymore. " _Stop!_ Please! Stop!" He finally cried in pain. Sabal did just that. He had a smile on his face that just gave Ajay the creeps.

"Now, isn't  _that_ better? I'd start watching that mouth of yours-" Sabal's smile turned into an angry sneer before he stabbed Ajay one final time causing Ajay to scream loudly in pain. "-or it'll get worse, much worse." Ajay tried to jerk out of his bonds but the most that did was not only cause the pain from the scalpel to get a million times worse but it also caused his wrists and ankles to rub up against the metal from the shackles. "No tears yet? Don't worry... I'll get there before too long. I've got you to myself all day long and-" Sabal leaned down to whisper in Ajay's ear softly. "-I've got a lot of things lined up for us to do together... I'm going to  _break_ you..."

* * *

"-a lot of people out..."

"-Noticed..."

Jason gave a groggily groan as he sleepily opened his eyes. He felt confused as he could tell he was looking up at the roof of a car. Last thing he remembered he was in a helicopter, so why was he in a car now? His brow furrowed when he because aware that the car was indeed moving.

"Something big is happening... how much farther till we reach the airport?" Came Liza's voice from the front seat. Jason's head turned towards her voice, he was laying down in the back seat, in fact, he was taking up the whole back seat. He could see that Riley was driving while Liza was in the front seat. Again his brow continued to furrow when the very real and horrible truth that Ajay was  _not_  with them hit him really hard. Jason felt that something was in his hand, and bringing his hand up he opened it to see a familiar leather glove. Slowly he pulled himself up and was sitting up straight in the seat behind Riley's. He went unnoticed by either of them.

"It shouldn't be much longer, I think it's only... two or three more miles away if I'm looking at the map correctly..." Riley huffed as he was going back and forth between looking at a paper map in front of him and focusing on the road.

"Where's Ajay?" Jason questioned causing both of them to jump, Riley actually had to stomp on the breaks before putting his hand on his chest.

"Christ, Jason don't scare us like that-"

"Where is Ajay!? Why are we going to the airport?!" Jason demanded before snatching the map out of Riley's hands.

"Jason..." Liza started slowly with a voice that Jason knew all too well. It was her cautious voice, the voice she would use when she had bad news for him. "... We both love you... and... well we're taking you home after the helicopter crashed-"

"Like hell, you are!?-wait... helicopter crash... no..." Jason shook his head as his memory came back to him.  _'What the hell happened to Ajay?!'_ "You two... didn't just leave Ajay, Pagan, and Yuma to the Golden Path, did you!?"

"Well... I mean-" Riley's hesitant voice was the final straw for Jason. He opened the car door and simply got out. "Jason!" honestly Jason had half a mind to just take the car from Riley, but then he knew better than that. No, he wasn't a monster he wasn't going to just leave them in the middle of a war-torn country if he had to walk all the way to Banapur then so be it. Jason heard the car's tires slowly drive up beside him. "Please get back in the car." Riley practically pleaded with Jason.

"No. Here's what's going to happen, you two have done  _nothing_  to help! You abandoned me and Ajay in a drowning car and you tore me away from Ajay when he literally needs me the most right now! So, in the words of mom when we were kids, Riley: If you aren't going to help then just  _go!"_ Jason seethed with anger dripping in every word. "... you two might have single-handedly  _ruined_  a country by handing Ajay over to those terrorists!"

"Well, Jason... the truth is... how do you know that the Golden Path isn't the ones in the right here!" Liza challenged from the passenger seat.

"Because I've been here longer than either of you!" Jason roared loudly. "I know what the Golden Path wants! You don't! The Golden Path wants things to go back to the accent times, pretty much! Pagan is bringing in modern medicine, and getting rid of their religion! A religion, I feel like I should remind you, that makes it okay for grown men, like Sabal, to marry and fuck girls as young as twelve because they believe that these girls are goddesses reborn! Pagan wants to bring this country into the modern age and the Golden Path? They want to put it back to the way things were before because Pagan outlawed their stupid religion! Pagan may not be a saint, and he's doing things wrong as well as being a psychopath... but he's in the right for this one." Jason finished he continued to walk but the car stopped following him.

"Jason..." Riley had gotten out of the car now. "Don't do this! Please!" Jason kept on walking away from his brother. "I can't lose another brother!" That line caused Jason to stop dead in his tracks. Slowly he turned his head to look at Riley. "You know... you act like you're the only person to lose Grant! But you forget he was my brother too!... as a kid I would fantasize about being an only child sometimes... I don't want that fantasy to become a reality! I can't lose you too! Please... come home..."

"... If you would have come to get me when I accepted the job... I might have been willing to, but... now... Ajay means too much to me to just leave him to the Golden Path."

"More important than us?" Liza had gotten out of the car as well. Jason only shook his head slowly at the two of them.

"It's not like that-"

"-But it's true... isn't it?" She challenged. "Bullshit!" She spoke again before Jason could respond. "We stuck through you for years! You knew him for a month and you're willing to lay your life down for him?!"

"It's not just that and you know it!"

"Oh, please Jason! you would always be flirting with women! Like, there was a time if it had a skirt you'd be chasing it!... where is this sudden sexuality change coming from?" Riley demanded as he threw his arms out towards Jason. Liza also gave a nod towards Jason as well, her arms were crossed and her eyes were narrowed at him.

Jason finally just scoffed before throwing his arms up in defeat. "It's never changed! Goddammit, I shouldn't be having this conversation, not now, but if it'll make you two feel better. I'm Bi! I've always been Bi! But that doesn't matter! Not now anyway! The longer we stay here discussing my sexuality the longer the Golden Path has Ajay! Now please! Go home!" Jason turned sharply and quickly started to walk away.

He didn't look back he didn't want to see their disappointed faces especially not when he had to get to Ajay before anything too bad to happen for him. Jason padded down his pockets in hope to see what was still on him, he had no guns, but he did have his Kukri, and Ajay's glove, but that was it. Jason heard the sound of a car driving off, he forced himself to turn around just in time to see Riley and Liza drive passed him and move forward.  _'Good...'_  Jason thought as he watched the car disappear around a blind corner.

So, he had no map, is in an enemy heavy territory, and only had a glorified machete to back him up.  _'You've faced worse, Jason.'_  His mind reminded him, and it wasn't wrong.

"Welp, they were heading for the airport, so I guess I should go... " Jason sighed loudly as he looked around, all he could see was wilderness. Jason tapped his fingers against his thigh in thought before finally turning around on the road. "I'll go this way." He whispered softly to himself. He knew he had to get started somewhere, Ajay was counting on him. Jason silently pocketed the glove before setting off in a jog.

* * *

Ajay wasn't a crier, he's never been one to cry even when hurt as a kid he didn't really cry all that much, but boy did he want to cry when Sabal finally finished carving the word 'Traitor' into his chest. Ajay never felt pain like that before, of course, he hadn't Pagan did everything in his power to stop Ajay from ever feeling pain like that before. Ajay was shaking, he knew he was. He wanted to take the focus away from the agonizing pain from the still bleeding cuts. Every time it seemed like the pain would go away or dull down it just came back full force like a fire refusing to be put out. He felt tears perk up in the corner of his eyes he tried to blink them away and not give Sabal the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

Sabal had walked away, where he went to Ajay didn't know nor did he want to know. No, Ajay tried to focus on getting out, but these shackles weren't giving away anytime soon. His wrists were already raw and bloody from his struggle as Sabal was carving away. Ajay sucked in air through his teeth as the pain just wouldn't stop for him.  _'If they're doing this to you then imagine what they're doing to dad.'_  That little voice piped up in his head. Ajay clenched his teeth together to stop himself from crying out at the thought. The door suddenly opened again and Ajay was greeted by Sabal's ugly mug. Sabal was humming some old song happily to himself. "You know, Little Prince, your American friend gave me a great idea on how to break you!" Sabal spoke chipperly to Ajay. Ajay didn't ask, he didn't engage Sabal in, anyway, shape, or form. Sabal only chuckled before showing Ajay a dirty red rag.

Ajay still didn't ask.

Sabal then placed the rag over Ajay's face. Ajay, unable to move his neck, couldn't move his neck to knock the rag off. Ajay was shaking worse now. Every breath he took through his nose the rag moved and touched his nostrils uneasily. The rag smelt heavily of car oil and Ajay feared that Sabal was going to set the rag on fire, but the moment Ajay heard the loud sloshing of water being moved he realized it was much worse. "Sabal no! Please!" Ajay just couldn't help but beg for mercy, something he never had to do before but fell on deaf ears. It happened so fast the water was poured on his face quickly and violently. Ajay held his mouth shut and refused to breathe through his nose, but within seconds he could feel the water start to go down his nostrils Ajay tried to snort the water out but that only caused more complications as his nostrils started to burn and he opened his mouth to gasp. Water went down his throat fast. Ajay tried so hard to shake his head but he was still restrained down.

Water started to pour into his mouth and down his nose, he tried and tried to spit and gasp the water out. He couldn't breathe, the more he struggled the less he could breathe, the cloth was clamped down over his nose now and he was unable to determine if he was still breathing by this point. More and more water just seemed to pour over his face, down his nose, and into his lungs. Ajay was struggling in his panic, his wrists and ankles doing nothing but rubbing against the shackles and turning raw.

Honestly, Ajay didn't even know he was screaming until the water stopped and the rag was ripped from his face. All he heard was a loud 'click' and he jerked his head to the side to spit the water out of his lungs. Ajay gasped loudly as mucus left his nose and water splashed violently on the floor below him. Still screaming Ajay vomited on the floor, any food in his stomach splashed grossly with the water on the floor. Then, as he sucked in several greedy breaths of air, his neck was grabbed by Sabal and he was forced back into the shackle where Sabal locked it back in place. "No! Please, not again!" Ajay cried loudly as tears were now running down his face, but again the rag was placed over his head, and again the process was repeated.

Ajay clawed at the table below him as his whole body aggressively jerked up and down as his mind was telling his body that was drowning. The water continued to pour endlessly down his throat and nose, the more he tried to cough out the more just seemed to flow down. Ajay tried to beg for mercy, he tried so hard. He knew he was screaming now more than ever, but screaming only made it worse. Finally, the rag was torn off his face and his neck was freed allowing him to turn it to cough the water up. Water flowed from his mouth as well as his nose. Ajay had nothing in his stomach to give, but still, he vomited up stomach acid. "No more... please..." Ajay cried softly to Sabal. "Please..." Ajay coughed a loud wheezing cough. "No..." Ajay sobbed loudly as Sabal simply moved his head back into the shackle. "Please. No more Sabal!"

"Sorry, brother. You brought this on yourself."

And on the rag went again, and again the process was repeated.

* * *

Jason slid down a small cliff and safely on to the ground below. Honestly, Jason wasn't happier to see a radio tower more in his life, because next to the tower was a little hut with a radio in it. Jason didn't waste time running towards the hut small hut. Hell, he even managed to get inside it without seeing or running into a single soul.  _'Now that I think about it, I haven't seen much of anyone since I left Riley and Liza. Not a single car.'_  He thought to himself before shrugging it off as nothing. "Oh, you beautiful bastard!" He whispered to the HAM radio on the table. Jason snatched the little walkie-talkie attached to the radio and started to tune in.

"Hello? Can anybody hear me? My name is Jason Brody! Can anybody hear me?" He spoke loud and clear into the radio as he constantly flicked through channels. "My name is Jason Brody, I am Ajay Ghale's bodyguard, I need help! Hello? Can anybody hear me?!" Jason turned the dials to the radio in a more despite the attempt to reach anybody. "Hello!? Please! I need help!"

It was like an angel heard his prayers as finally another voice flickered on the radio. "Jason? You're alive!?"

"Hurk! I've never been more happy to hear that beautiful southern voice of yours! Yes, I need help! Ajay and I got separated I need to find him but I'm lost!" He explained quickly to Hurk. At first, all Jason got was a bunch of static from the other side and after a few minutes he wondered if he had lost Hurk, that was until another voice suddenly came on the radio, this one wasn't Hurk but Paul.

"Jason!- goddammit keep them back!- The Golden Path has Pagan, Yuma, and Ajay! Where the hell was you?!" Paul snapped over the radio.

"I... got kidnapped, it's a long story! But I want to get them back! Like I told Hurk, I'm lost!" Jason yelled back over the radio. All he got in reply were loud gunshots causing him to jump a little. Then after a few stressful heartbeats, Paul came back on the radio.

"Look... Jason..." Paul was breathing heavily now. "... The Golden Path won... They're executing Pagan tonight along with Ajay. They went and killed Yuma in the helicopter from what I was told... they're storming my fortress now and I can't keep them at bay much longer... they won, Jason. It's over."

Then, line the went dead. Jason started flicking through the stations again. "No! No! It can't be over! They  _can't_  win! Hello!? Paul!? Hurk!  _HURK!?_ " Jason practically screamed over the radio. "Oh, god... no..." Jason put his hands on his knees as he then clutched at his pants so hard that his knuckles went white. "I can't lose someone else... I just can't..." He whispered uneasily to himself. Off in the distance, probably from the radio tower, he could hear the music. He had no idea why he focused on it, but he did.

_Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble And if I stay it will be double so come on and let me know-_

"Should I stay or should I go?" Jason finished the song aloud to himself, looking down at his hands in thought.  _'It seems that it's an impossible battle to win at this point in the game... Maybe I should try and go back to the airport with Liza and Riley-'_ Jason shook his head slowly as he then proceeded to punch the closest wall. "Fuck that noise! I'm not fucking leaving! I made a promise to protect Ajay Ghale and dammit I'm fulfilling that promise!" He seethed before turning back to the radio and flicking the stations. This wasn't a message to Paul or Hurk, but a message to Sabal if that stupid bastard gets it.

"Sabal! I don't know if you can hear me! but if you are listening then listen well mother fucker! I'm coming for you, and this time I'll make sure to put a damn bullet in that head of yours."

Jason dropped the walkie-talkie before walking out of the hut. "Paul and Hurk need me, I'm assuming both of them are at Paul's fortress, I don't know where I'm at- well... look at that..." Jason smirked. Off in the distance was an abandoned ATV. "-but I'll know before too long. Don't worry, Ajay, I'm coming for you before nightfall, I promise! I just need the proper backup..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I decided to split this up into two parts. Maybe because I didn't want to over crowed this one chapter with too much because trust me there's a lot more to happen. A lot more!


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